Dubbed “NCCE Clean-up Day”, the exercise was to amplify NCCE’s efforts at promoting sustainable environmental management through civic education.

Due tothe intermittent rainfall, the exercise which was supposed to start 6:00 a.m. began around 8:00 a.m. from the Accra Digital Center through to the Neoplan Station at Circle and its environs.

During the exercise, some staff of NCCE were seen with placards and posters at vantage points, others interacted with traders while some cleared the heaps of rubbish gathered around.

Again, to reignite the spirit of self-help among Ghanaians, mounted speakers in vans were used to educate, encourage and announce to the public on the importance of environmental cleanliness as well as inviting them to participate in the exercise.

Speaking after the exercise, the Greater Accra Regional Director of NCCE, Mr Alex Sackey, said the education from the commission was part of their mandate to sensitise the public to environmental cleanliness and its preservation.

“If the environment is clean, it comes back to us to boost our health but when it is not clean, it comes back to hunt us in the form of sicknesses and possibly death,” he said.

Mr Sackey explained that, years ago, people were not requested to clean their frontage because they were disciplined, knew the laws and made it a norm.

“Sanitation is lifelong and re-occurring. Today one clearsrefuse and the next day it increases, we have realised a lot of people have pathetic attitude towards matters of the environment and that has to change,” he stated.

He emphasised the need for public sensitisation in order to reduce, re-use and recycle plastics and polythene as they chocked gutters and caused flooding during rainy seasons.

“Pursuance to this, the commission calls on other organisations to empower and encourage positive attitudes of the environment to the public, to amplify the past efforts and respond to emerging demands for environmental cleanliness,” he advised.

“We call on authorities to enforce the laws and sanctions on sanitation as that would help wake people up from their slumber,” he added.