Mr Aquinas Tawiah Quansah, Central Regional Minister, has reiterated the commitment of the people in the region to adhere to the directive by President John Dramani Mahama on the National Sanitation Day (NSD) exercise.

He said the introduction of the exercise by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development was in the right direction and called on Ghanaians to use the day to clean their environment in order to prevent the outbreak of diseases.

Mr Quansah made the remarks when he and Alhaji Collins Dauda, Minister of Local Government and Rural Developments addressed the Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese District and Mfantsiman Municipal Assembly to sensitise the heads of department and staff on the NSD exercise.

The NSD exercise is scheduled for every first Saturday of the month with the focus on a particular region. The Central Region is hosting the ninth edition.

It is instituted by the ministry to change the attitude of Ghanaians towards the indiscriminate dumping of refuse and littering in the country.

The Local Government Minister and his two Deputies Mr Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, Member of Parliament (MP) for Odododiodio and Mr Emmanuel Kwadjo Agyekum, MP for Nkoranza South and all the directors of the ministry moves to the host region to operate.

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 a lasting solution to the problems.

He said the region would be adjudged the best among other regions and expressed the hoped it would change the mindsets of Ghanaians towards good sanitation practices.

The Regional Minister who is also the MP for Mfantseman urged residents to come out in their numbers to clean their environment and other public places to promote good health.

Alhaji Dauda appealed to them to priorities sanitation issues in their various departments and localities to prevent the outbreak of diseases and also maintain and promote environmental and public health.

He said heads of department in the various metropolitan, municipal and districts should be seen as agents of change for the promotion of development with their rich experiences.

Alhaji Dauda who is also the Member of Parliament for Asutifi South (MP) said the government has made the issue of sanitation one of its priorities to protect the citizenry from diseases to enhance and ensure public and environmental health.

He said it is the duty of every citizen to protect and clean the environment of which he or she lives and to promote development.

Alhaji Dauda expressed government's commitment to support traditional authorities to reinvigorate the habit of communal labour in order to promote public and environmental health in the country.

He said government is coming out with laws and bye law by the assemblies to prosecute the people who litter around to serve as a deterrent to others in order to control the indiscriminate dumping of refuse and promote good health.

Nana Kwesi Brebo III, Benkumhene of Nkusukum and Acting President of Nkusukum Traditional Area appealed to government to consider developing laws that would empower traditional authorities to deal with committers of sanitation crime in order to bring sanity into the localities and control the outbreak of diseases.

He said filth causes diseases and kills and does not know a politician, doctor, minister and a chief and that should “remind us as citizens of our duty and responsibility to protect our environment”.

He appealed to the ministry to provide more litter bins to the assembly for positioning at more vantage points.

Kweku Hayfron, District Chief Executive pledged his commitment to ensure the continues engagement of the people in order to ensure the success of the project.