Dan Botwe – Minister of Local Government and Rural Development
Yesterday’s downpour exposed the non-performance of the assemblies in the Greater Accra Region.
We would have expected that after the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey’s introduction of the “Clean Accra” project, the assemblies would own it by ensuring its fullest implementation.
The Regional Minister expended so much energy and funds into the project for which reason the assemblies should have been seen to be running with the batons handed over to them.
A pile of garbage scooped from a gutter near Nima’s Mayor Hotel has been lying at the place for the past one week.
None of the staff of the Ayawaso East Municipal Assembly has observed it, let alone take the necessary action about it. A similar picture goes for other parts of the nation’s capital where pockets of garbage line the gutters. As for the downpour, it brought out the embedded garbage in the gutters onto the surface. The eyesore created in some parts of the city is not only worrying, it presents a nasty testimonial for the germane MCEs.
With the onset of the raining season, the gutters will throw out more domestic garbage from their bowels onto the streets as the assemblies look on, not knowing what to do.
Shouldn’t the MCEs occasionally come out and take trips in their areas of jurisdiction so they can take appropriate remedial decisions where necessary?
A new template must be carved out in response to the challenges of sanitation and garbage management in the city.
Unless this is done, we shall continue to witness the filth which the “Clean Accra” project is intended to address.
We are, therefore, charging the MCEs in the Greater Accra Region to work because the Regional Coordinating Council can only initiate appropriate policies as in the case of “Clean Accra” project, the implementation of which lies on the bosom of the assemblies.
Assigns of the assemblies prefer clamping vehicles which they claim park at ‘No Parking’ parts of the roads to organise the clearing of refuse on the sides of streets. This is the surest way for them to fleece money from motorists.
Come on let us be serious about our mandates no matter what they are. We cannot continue to allow people who are on the payroll of state agencies to exhibit such irresponsibility.
Political appointees heading such places put in all they could to lobby for the positions but from all indications, they are failing to deliver on the appropriate mandates.
We pointed it out in a previous commentary when the Regional Minister embarked upon the “Clean Accra” project that we do not have confidence in our assemblies to do the job expected of them in this direction.