Although one swallow does not make a summer, the fact that Kerewan Area Council recently presented waste collection bins to the Gambia Ports Authority (GPA) and some banks in the North Bank Region, warrants a tap on the back for the council, as such an act is unusual from a public to private sector institutions like banks.
Some of the beneficiary banks of the council’s donation, according to a report published on Tuesday in this paper, are Access Bank and Trust Bank in Barra, Ecobank and Guaranty Trust Bank in Farafenni.
What makes it unusual or strange is the fact that this benevolent act was rolled out by an area council (a public institution) to private sector institutions such as banks. The norm has been the other way round – private sector institutions giving out to the public sector.
Although there is no restriction to giving - poor or rich we are advised to share and to always be our brother’s keeper - the trend to a large extent has been the private sector giving out or demonstrating its CSR (corporate social responsibility) to the community.
But Kerewan Area Council has done the unusual, the strange good thing, and has therefore sent out a message of goodwill and responsibility to tax and rates payers and by extension to the nation. For this trendsetting act the area council deserves a tap on the back.
The council, as its chief executive officer has intimated, is committed to supporting timely collection of solid waste and management of sound environmental protection.
It must however be said that the donation is in fulfillment of the council’s duty as well as a complementary gesture to the national cleansing exercise.
All of us in society, the council’s gesture tone insinuates, should be committed to the act of cleaning our environment. And one way we should do this is by ensuring that waste collection bins and or strategically designated waste depository points are fixed up at appropriate locations in our environment or dwelling places.
So the act by the council is a show of responsibility and concern for national cleansing and good hygiene. Keep it up KAC!
“A good example is far better than a good precept.”
Dwight L. Moody
