"Produce evidence GHC6m was spent on National Sanitation Day & I’ll resign" - Local Govt Minister dares
Local Government Minister Julius Debrah has challenged civil society group Truth and Accountability Forum to provide evidence that his ministry spent GHȻ3 million on each clean up exercise organized.
The minister said the group’s allegations are totally false because his ministry has not spent any money belonging to the tax payer on the National Sanitation Day exercise.
Speaking to Joy News, Mr Debrah said “the figures they are mentioning is just someone’s imagination. If anyone comes out to prove anything contrary to what I have said, I am willing to step down as minister. We did not take one cent from anyone and if they do not believe it they can start their investigations from the media houses.”
The Truth and Accountability Forum had challenged the Local Government Minister to account for the money spent on the NSD, claiming its investigations revealed that about GHȻ3 million was spent on each exercise.
The group alleged that because there is no budgetary allocation for the exercise, the ministry has misused public funds for the exercise and should be made to account for it
But Mr Debrah discounted the claims saying that “since the exercise started media houses who aired our radio advertisements did not take money from the ministry because they saw the initiative as one which was of a public health concern and therefore saw the opportunity to use their platforms as a way of contributing to it.”
But Mr Debrah discounted the claims saying that “since the exercise started media houses who aired our radio advertisements did not take money from the ministry because they saw the initiative as one which was of a public health concern and therefore saw the opportunity to use their platforms as a way of contributing to it.”
Corporate organizations like the Agricultural Development Bank and Societé General Bank who donated monies to the project, according to the minister were asked to use the donations to purchase tools which will be used for the exercise.
He said that even though the group and any other Ghanaians have the right to demand accountability, they should get the facts right before putting out any information.
Commenting on the turnout for the clean-up exercise, the minister said “the objective of the exercise was not the number of people who came out to clean but the number of people who have been made aware of the fact that it is inappropriate to litter their communities with rubbish.”
He said that even though the group and any other Ghanaians have the right to demand accountability, they should get the facts right before putting out any information.
Commenting on the turnout for the clean-up exercise, the minister said “the objective of the exercise was not the number of people who came out to clean but the number of people who have been made aware of the fact that it is inappropriate to litter their communities with rubbish.”
Mr Debrah said the second edition of the NSD was more successful than the first especially because he believes many people have bought into the message and were willing to keep their environment clean.
He thanked the military and other organizations who came out to participate in the exercise saying that “if we all come together, we will be able to achieve the objective for which the day was established”.
He thanked the military and other organizations who came out to participate in the exercise saying that “if we all come together, we will be able to achieve the objective for which the day was established”.
