The Registrar of the Births and Deaths Registry, Samuel Adom Botchway, has joined the ongoing two-day national sanitation exercise in Accra, saying public officials must lead from the front.
Speaking in a live interview with Radio Gold reporter Osman Abadoo at the Shiashi Bus Stop in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency this morning, Mr Botchway said his presence at the exercise was deliberate.
“Leadership is by example. So if the President of the Republic of Ghana is on the ground working, why would I stand aside?” he asked. “My workers are actively working because they see me, their leader, working.”
Mr Botchway said the exercise has attracted a broad cross-section of participants. According to him, service personnel, Metropolitan Assembly staff and community members are actively involved in clearing drains, removing debris and sweeping public spaces.
He stressed that the clean-up is not only about clearing filth but also about protecting lives.
“Lives are important, and when a life is lost, it affects everyone,” he said.
He linked the sanitation exercise to efforts to reduce flooding and prevent deaths associated with poor waste management.
The Registrar appealed to residents to change their waste disposal habits. He urged the public to stop dumping refuse into gutters and littering the streets, noting that such practices clog drains and worsen flooding during heavy rains.
He welcomed the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs’ plan to reintroduce ‘Nsamansaman’, a strict sanitation enforcement operation. According to him, prosecuting individuals caught littering or obstructing drains would serve as a deterrent to others.
Speaking with a Zoomlion Ghana Limited official at the site, he said workers had been desilting drains and piling refuse for evacuation.
He explained that because some of the waste was waterlogged, the teams were waiting for excess water to drain before loading it onto trucks. He added that collection by Zoomlion trucks was expected to be completed by 2:00 p.m. today.
Story by Ruth Quaye
