Alhaji Collins Dauda, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, has called on chiefs to prioritise sanitation issues in their various localities to prevent the outbreak of diseases.

He also reiterated government commitment to support traditional authorities to reinvigorate the habit of communal labour in order to promote public and environmental health in the country.

Alhaji Dauda made the call when he paid a courtesy call on Osabarimba Kwesi Attah II, Chief of Cape Coast and addressed the paramount chiefs of Komenda, Nana Kojo Kru II, Edina, Nana Kojo Conduali VI, Agona, Nana Kyi Tweie Kodie IV, to solicit their support for the up-coming ninth National Sanitation Day (NSD) exercise which would be hosted by the Central Region.

He also addressed Metropolitan and Municipal departmental heads and staff of the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly and Komenda-Edina-Eguafo Abrem assemblies where he urged them to make cleaning a part of the day-to-day activities and comes out in their numbers on Saturday, August 1 to clean their localities.

Alhaji Dauda who is also the Member of Parliament for Asutifi South (MP) said the

NSD exercise was instituted by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to control the indiscriminate dumping of refuse and littering in the country and is slated for the first Saturday of every month.

The Minister and his two Deputies Mr Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, MP for Odododiodio and Mr Emmanuel Kwadjo Agyekum, MP for Nkoranza South and all the directors of the ministry moves to the host region of the NSD.

This is to bring governance to the doorsteps of the citizenry and to ascertain first hand information on what is happening at the local level, know the problems of the people and to find lasting solutions to the problems.

Aalhaji Dauda inspected the on-going $ 20 million dollars Cape Coast Kotokuraba Market and the newly constructed Abura Stadium projects.

Osabarimba Attah urged government to come out with laws to prosecute the people who litter around to serve as a deterrent to others.

The other paramount chiefs also pledged their continues support to government and the exercise and appealed to the ministry to empower traditional rulers and local authorities to take up the responsibility

The Regional Minister and MP for Mfantsiman, Mr Aquinas Tawiah Quansah asked the people to desist from dumping refuse indiscriminately.