Chiefs hijacking public toilets unlawful - Sanitation Committee Chair

The Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sanitation and Water Resources, Oti Kwabena Bless John has condemned the alleged takeover of public toilets by some chiefs in Municipalities and Metropolitan Assemblies.

Speaking to the media after a public hearing in Takoradi on Friday, October 16, the MP for Nkwanta North commended Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the Western Region for their financial ingenuity in sanitation financing.

He said the hearing examined how Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) are utilising the percentage of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) allocated to sanitation.

"I am impressed with all the presentations and the performance of the MMDCEs. I am impressed," he said.

"But there is still a lot more to do. There is more room for improvement."

The Committee Chairman singled out Jomoro as a major concern, revealing that public toilets constructed by the district assembly have allegedly been taken over by chiefs who are refusing to account to the assembly.

"I think that is unlawful because this is government money, the poor taxpayers' money, and the assemblies generate a lot of income, their revenue from the public toilets," he said.

He questioned how chiefs, who are supposed to be major stakeholders of the assemblies, could take over government projects, make money from them without accountability, and pay nothing to the assemblies.

"I think that is unacceptable," he said. Oti Kwabena Bless John called on the chiefs and people of Jomoro, as well as the three Nzema municipal and district assemblies, to step up and correct the situation.

"The chiefs should begin to either return or hand over the public toilets to the district assembly, to engage other private capable individuals to manage, account and pay the appropriate amount of money to the assembly to run other activities in the district," he said.

"Or they should begin to do the right thing."

He warned that the issue would be taken up at the highest level, saying he would meet the Local Government Minister because the Assemblies fall under his purview.

"This issue is going to be taken on board. I am going to meet the Local Government Minister on this issue. It is unacceptable," he said.

The Committee, he added, is of the view that toilet facilities should be handed over to the assemblies.

"As a committee, we sense that the toilet project facilities should be handed over to the assemblies. I think these are the only issues. As the chairman of the committee, I think it is very important and an urgent need that we attend to it and deal with the issues," he said.

The public hearing formed part of the Committee's oversight mandate to assess sanitation financing at the local level and ensure that DACF allocations for sanitation are used transparently and effectively.