The sanitation challenges confronting the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis have now become a major governance issue after the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, openly expressed disgust over the state of cleanliness in the oil city and issued a two-week ultimatum to authorities to address the situation.
Speaking during the World Environment Day celebration in Sekondi-Takoradi, the minister said he was shocked by the volume of plastic waste that greeted him upon his arrival in the metropolis, warning that the city risked contributing to the growing global environmental crisis if urgent measures were not taken.
“To be specific, in Sekondi-Takoradi, when I came here, I wasn’t happy. From your house, I was greeted with plastics. When I was entering, I was greeted with plastics. Everywhere, I was greeted with plastics,” he said.
The minister cautioned that the indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste posed a serious threat to marine life and public health.
“The plastics we are seeing around are the plastics that will find their way into the sea,” he warned, referencing global projections that plastic pollution could eventually outnumber fish in the oceans if current trends continue.
Mr. Ibrahim directed city authorities to move beyond ceremonial sanitation exercises and undertake sustained cleanup operations, warning that he would return within two weeks to assess progress.
In what appeared to be a direct warning to officials of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA), the minister said failure to improve conditions would attract consequences.
“If, after two weeks, the situation is the same, then he shouldn’t blame you,” he stated.
The minister’s comments received strong backing from the Western Regional Minister, Joseph Nelson, who revealed that he had repeatedly raised concerns about sanitation management in the metropolis long before the sector minister’s visit.
Responding publicly to the minister’s observations, Mr. Nelson said the concerns were not new and that he had already taken steps to engage city authorities over the worsening sanitation situation.
“Honourable Minister, your words and your observations about the STMA are very well noted,” he stated. The regional minister recalled that only a week earlier he had publicly criticized the Assembly’s handling of sanitation during the Eid al-Adha celebrations after private engagements with city authorities failed to produce the expected results.
“Some thought I was harsh on the MCE and the Assembly, but I did so because about three weeks ago, I convened a meeting of authorities and gave them straight instructions about the need to improve sanitation in the city,” he disclosed.
According to him, the leadership of both the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipal Assembly (EKMA) and the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly had assured him that concrete steps would be taken to improve conditions. However, he said little progress had been seen on the ground.
Mr. Nelson said his decision to publicly criticize the Assembly during the Eid celebrations came after he realized that the assurances given had not translated into visible action.“When I was engaging the media, I had to put it out that enough is enough. We must see action in the city,” he stressed.
The regional minister told the gathering that the latest observations by the sector minister had reinforced concerns he had already raised with city managers. “Minister, you came in today and you’ve also made similar observations,” he said.
He subsequently threw his support behind the ultimatum issued by the Local Government Minister and warned that officials responsible for sanitation management were fully aware of the consequences that could follow if the situation remains unchanged.
“So the ball is in their court. The officers know what consequences will follow if we don’t see improvement,” he cautioned.
The exchange between the two ministers places the STMA under mounting pressure to address sanitation concerns that have become a major source of public frustration in the metropolis.
Residents have, in recent weeks, complained about overflowing refuse containers, indiscriminate dumping of waste and heavily silted drains in several parts of Sekondi-Takoradi.
With the rainy season intensifying, concerns have also grown over the Assembly’s preparedness to prevent flooding. Major drains around the Takoradi Market Circle and other flood-prone areas remain choked with silt and plastic waste, prompting residents to question whether sufficient desilting exercises have been undertaken.
The fact that both the regional minister and the sector minister have now publicly condemned the sanitation situation signals the seriousness with which government views the problem.
For many residents, the next two weeks may determine whether the repeated warnings from government officials translate into visible improvements on the streets of Sekondi-Takoradi or whether the city remains under the growing shadow of filth, flooding and environmental degradation.
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