Opinions of Wednesday, 7 February 2018

Columnist: Ekow Paintsil Djan

I wasn’t appointed to be a ‘borla man’ – Adda

Mr. Kofi Adda, Minister for Sanitation Mr. Kofi Adda, Minister for Sanitation

On Wednesday afternoon I visited my Facebook wall, and what I saw as a news item got me down in the dumps.

"….you send me to a new terrain, totally Virgin area, a place this that the president wants things done in a very deep-seated manner and you want that to be done tomorrow. You want the minister to go out tomorrow with a broom and a wheelbarrow to collect the waste; that’s not the minister’s job,’’

This is actually a comment from Mr. Kofi Adda, the Minister for Sanitation. A very unfortunate, disrespectful, rude, unjustifiable and uncalled for comment from a man who is paid by the poor Ghanaian who sweeps the streets, the poor Ghanaian parent who is struggling to take care of the family, the market woman who sits and sells under scorching sun, the farmer, the teacher, the doctor, etc. who has employed you to ensure that his community is clean.

This same taxpayer has secured a fully air-conditioned office for you, who has secured a minister’s bungalow for you and your family to feel safe.

Your cars, per diems, securities which we bear the cost are just but a few of your privileges as far as your position as sector minister is concerned. What have done then, to deserve such a disrespectful comment from you?

I would first and foremost ask the honourable minister to do the honourable thing by retracting such a disrespectful comment and apologising to the good people of Ghana.

The Minister must also understand that Ghana is still ‘dirty’ hence his ineffectiveness. I do not want to believe that his name ‘Adda’ is making him sleep on his job. He better wake up and start working. It is so sad to even see the capital city and the seat of government so dirty to the core.

Accra now smells so bad, filled with dirt and grime.

I earlier heard some officials close to him have threatened to kill a journalist who has consistently criticized him. Your colleague minister, Mr. Peter Amewu is receiving praises for trying so hard to eradicate the activities of ‘galamsey’. If you had done something better,would you have been trolled like that?

If you are not going to do your job as minister to keep Ghana clean and pleasant then we will force you ’’to go out tomorrow with a broom and a wheelbarrow to collect the waste’’

He must actually be forced to work or we show him the exit point.

But Ghanaians too why? You dump rubbish anywhere like that and expect who to collect?

Let’s change our behaviour. For how long shall be ‘dirty’? Mo ma yen sesa kakra wai.

But hey Mr. Kofi Adda, come out with a clear policy guideline to keep our country clean.

You were given the mandate to serve and not to be served. Moreover, you are not better than the ‘borla man’.

I have criticized you. Come and kill me too!

I am off.