Use pulpit to preach cleanliness - KMA to Clergy

The Kumasi Mayor, Osei Assibey Antwi, has called on the clergy to use their pulpits to preach the need for Ghanaians, especially residents of Kumasi to be law abiding citizens.

He said lawlessness is now gaining root in Kumasi where residents choose to evade tax and dump refuse indiscriminately in the city.

This “uncivilised and ungodly attitude” he said, cannot be changed without the clergy playing their role as ambassadors and lead the crusade through the use of their pulpits since most Ghanaians are Christians.

Mr Antwi said most Christians chose to pay their tithes at church but refuse to pay taxes to be used for the development of the nation.

"The reason why the residents of Kumasi need a change of mindset is that, last year, the whole country, when you are looking for a city whose residents did not pay tax for the city to get revenue, Kumasi was last. So, what has happened all of a sudden, stubbornness has taken hold of Kumasi. [This] is lawlessness because if you pay your tithes and you refuse to pay taxes, you haven't done anything good," he said.

The Mayor said this when he joined some churches in the Kumasi Metropolis at the 31st all-night service to usher in the New Year.

Some of the churches he visited included Ash town Baptist Church, New Tafo Church of Pentecost and Assemblies of God church at Kwadaso Nsuom.

Mr Antwi, said Kumasi used to be the garden city of West Africa, and the environment was so serene but noted that the situation has now changed due to some uncivilised attitude some of the residents have been putting up by throwing rubbish around.

He expressed surprise why some residents, mostly traders who have been travelling to some countries like Singapore, China, Dubai among others do not litter around in those countries but choose to dump indiscriminately in their own countries.

He advised residents to be law abiding citizens and keep the city clean adding that the assembly will be launching its "Operation Keep the City Clean and Green" programme this year, and would need every resident to support the initiative to bring back the city's lost glory.