The unexpected presence of the students, numbering about 150 and exhibiting great force and energy, took the Municipal  Chief Executive, Kwabena  Okyere-Kusi by surprise.

The excited students cleared chocked gutters, swept the entire community, including the markets and the principal streets of Koforidua.

However, they were supported actively by other members of the Municipality, personnel from Zoomlion Ghana Limited, staff from the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), the General Assembly staff and some Assembly Members.

As of 10:00 am, the entire Municipality had been cleared of filth.

BACKGROUD

The National Sanitation Day exercise was instituted by the Ministry of local Government and Rural Development under the directive of the President  John Dramani  Mahama, in October 2015. It takes place on the first Saturday of every month to ensure cleanliness and prevent future disasters.

IT is however, introduced to control indiscriminate dumping of refuse and littering of environment as well as inculcating the culture and sense of communal labor in the country.

In order to ensure sustainability in the country, The National Sanitation Day Exercise was introduced to promote public and environmental health and to encourage good sanitation practices in the country.

Having seen the zeal and the passion in which the Nigerian demonstrated, the Municipal Chief Executive for the New Juaben Municipal Assembly, Kwabena Okyere Kusi commended them for their selfless, dedication and commitment shown during the just ended exercise.

He  maintained that countries across  the  globe  were not  developed by an  individual but with a  concensious  and self discipline and looking at the rate of floods in the Municipality, there is therefore the need for all and sundry to come  on board to ensure that the Municipality is  rid out of filth.

“Indeed, Nigerian students in the Municipality have shown that they are part of us and they will continue to be part of us, here in Ghana”. It is as a result of this that the MCE, on his tour to the various communities, urged the Ghanaian citizenry to emulate what the Nigerian students have done and exhibit a sense of patriotism in all their endeavors.

Mr. Okyere Kusi  who also  took part  in  the  clean up  exercise ,urged the people to  take the  National Sanitation Day as  their  own and not wait for the government official  to come to their  aid.

The MCE stressed on the need for us, as Ghanaians, to demonstrate our concern for the environment and the various communities before they get involved in the exercise to ensure that it was healthy in its attempt to achieve its economic goals.

In an interview with a level 200 Computer Science student of the All Nations University, Philip Oyi, said as students, they enjoyed being in Ghana because of the country’s academic credencials, hospitality and peace.

He said the Sanitation Day exercise coincided with their National Anniversary and it will be good for them as Nigerians to celebrate the day here in Ghana.

Mr. Oyi later cautioned Ghanaians to involve themselves in the National Sanitation Day, since it would help promote good health and protect the environment from future floods and outbreak of diseases.