Linda Ocloo, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Thursday expressed disappointment over the level of inefficiency and complacency exhibited by most of the metropolitan and district chief executives within the Accra Metropolis.
“Many of you are simply sleeping on the job. Excuses are nothing but an embarrassment to the people we serve,” she said during a media encounter in Accra.
The engagement, christened: “Time with the Media”, is an interactive platform designed to bring the public up to speed with activities being undertaken in the Greater Accra Region.
It forms part of the Government’s “Reset Agenda”, where government officials and agencies are expected to meet the press to provide updates on their stewardship.
The approach deepens transparency, strengthens accountability, and ensures that citizens hear directly from their local authorities.
Madam Ocloo said leadership was not about sitting in offices and enjoying the perks of their positions but it was about delivering results.
However, in terms of street lighting, the Regional Minister said since the last update, significant progress had been made, with over 128 streets lighted in the Greater Accra Phase I Project.
“Lighting is not merely infrastructure; it is a matter of public safety, urban order, and a key enabler of the 24-hour economy,” she said.
“We have secured 3,000 streetlights from the Ministry of Energy, and every metropolitan, municipal and district assembly will receive 100 pieces.”
“Let me be clear: you have two weeks only to ensure that every single one of those lights is fixed. No excuses, no delays!”
She pledged to personally monitor the directive and assured that any chief executive who failed to comply would be exposed.
“If you cannot manage this basic task, then you have no business occupying that office,” she said.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister expressed concern over the sanitation situation in the city, describing the menace as “unacceptable”.
She stated that many assemblies had refused to act despite having every opportunity and resources such as the sanitation component of the District Assembly Common Fund to deliver.
“You have ignored the recruitment of young people to clean our streets and desilt our drains. What is the excuse? None. It is sheer negligence and disregard of your duty,” she said.
“Sanitation is not a favour you are doing the people; it is a core responsibility. The stench, the filth, and the choked drains are a reflection of your failure to lead.”
She urged MMDCES to work with the security agencies to intensify surveillance and take proactive measures to stop the mounting of illegal billboards in the city.