AMA boss lambasts spare parts dealers

Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Dr Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, has expressed disappointment about the apathy shown by the Abossey Okai spare parts dealers during the National Sanitation Day in Accra.

He regretted that despite the numerous meetings held with their executives to ensure full participation in the sanitation exercise, the spare parts dealers remained adamant.

Dr Vanderpuije expressed the dissatisfaction at Abossey Okai when he visited Abossey Okai last Saturday as part of monitoring the National Sanitation Day exercise.

When the MCE got there, in the company of the media, some dealers had opened their shops and were going about their sales with impunity.

Dr Vanderpuije, who was not happy about the failure of some spare parts dealers to take part in the exercise, echoed the sentiment that the National Sanitation Day needs a legislation to change attitudes.

However, his presence compelled all shops which were opened to be closed for the day to be observed, yet some dealers stood aloof while others took part in the exercise.

The MCE attributed the bad attitude of the dealers towards the exercise to the Easter festivities. According to him, people thought because of the festivities the day would not be observed.

He was quick to state that the National Sanitation Day had come to stay and would always be observed no matter the period.

Dr Vanderpuije stressed that development is, and remains, a shared responsibility, to requests from some spare parts dealers that they need tools to work with.

He entreated all Ghanaians to come out in their numbers and clean their surroundings anytime it was National Sanitation Day, to ward off any pandemic like cholera.

He said many people in the metropolis did not obey by-laws on environmental health, which was the basis of the poor waste management in Accra.

He said the AMA alone cannot tackle the enormous environmental issues, and called on the citizenry to initiate measures to assist in solving the problems.

The MCE advised the spare parts dealers to desist from the indiscriminate littering of streets, gutters and water bodies, which, he said, leads to environmental pollution.

Dr Vanderpuije gave the assurance that the AMA would intensify its education on sanitation and factors that militate against the development of the metropolis.

Kwesi Obeng, a spare parts dealer, also reiterated the need for the day to be backed by law, adding that it is only then that Ghanaians will take it to heart.

According to him, those colleagues of his who claimed they did not have tools to work with, and for that matter would not observe the day, were just reflecting the general attitudes of Ghanaians towards issues of importance.

Collins Sam, another spare parts dealer, stated that the day should be observed every other day to instil into Ghanaians the importance of cleanliness.

According to him, Abossey Okine has a sanitation issue because the dealers do not take responsibility for the filth they create.

He was hopeful that sanitation officers would be sent to the area regularly to monitor activities and management of refuse in the area.

In a related development, children of the Ascension Congregation, Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Adabraka, embarked on a sensitisation campaign in the community to educate members on the need to keep their environment clean. They carried placards with inscriptions on sanitation.

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly supervised work around Lapaz, Agbogbloshie, Abossey Okine, Kaneshie and Adabraka.