Accra, April 25, GNA - Ghanaians have been urged to use public holidays to promote the development of their communities to push the "Better Ghana Agenda" of the government of Professor John Evans Atta Mills forward.

The call was made by the Chairman of the Odododiodioo Constituency of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Daniel Nii Okai, in a chat with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra on Monday. He noted that most Ghanaians travel from their places of work to their hometowns during such holidays and said this was a perfect opportunity for them to contribute their quota to the development of the communities that they hail from.

Mr Okai who is a Member of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly urged those who do not go to their home towns to use the holidays to clean their environment to ensure sound sanitation to curb diseases such as malaria and cholera and other epidemics.

He stated that their involvement in such communal activities apart from ensuring environmental hygiene would help the government to save the scarce foreign exchange used in the importation of expensive medicines, which could be used to finance other equally important social and community development.

Mr Okai said many people use such holidays for social activities and said the development of their communities and surroundings should take precedence over entertainment and fun even though they are also important.

Ghanaians should use holidays like the Easter period to plan development and self-help projects since the government alone could not provide all the needs of the people, he said, adding that, 93Heaven helps those who help themselves" and said communal initiatives attract support from Assemblies and organisations.

The Ododiodioo NDC Chairman appealed to Christian leaders and organisations to use the Easter period to sensitise their congregations on the need to keep their environment clean and to join the fight against malaria and other diseases.

Mr Okai stated that the government and the various District, Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies were trying their best to improve the lives of the people and said they could not provide all the needs of the communities at the same time in view of the scarce resources at their disposal and stressed the need for self help to hasten the pace of national development.

He called on the people to be patient and wait for their turn since the government of the NDC was working hard to fulfil its campaign promises as a Social Democratic party that had the welfare of the people as its guiding principle.