Convener for the Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining, Dr. Ken Ashigbey, says President Akufo-Addo ought to be a bit more forceful in dealing with the menace of galamsey if he intends to defeat it.
According to him, the president’s inaction over the past two years Professor Frimpong Boateng’s report had sat on his desk was not evident of a man who had promised to risk his presidency to rid the country of illegal mining and its devastation on the environment.
“So you’d want to see some actions being taken. And you know sometimes you look again and there’s a statement from the presidency saying that some investigations will be done and somebody from the presidency issues that particular statement. But we need to be seeing the president who has consistently said that he is ready to fight this thing be a bit more forceful in dealing with this issue,” he said.
Speaking on PM Express on JoyNews, Dr. Ashigbey further noted that this government has failed to show their seriousness in the fight against galamsey even when ample opportunity presented itself.
“Evans, are you surprised that since the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources refer to Akonta mining of being involved in an illegality, and I have seen ample evidence, it’s the same way as Heritage Imperial of the fact that what they were doing in the forest reserve was mining, and they did not have a permit to do that.
“And that is an illegality, that is a sin against the Minerals and Mining Act and what has happened? The CID is supposed to be looking into that. What has happened to that? The former DCE for Bososmefreho who was caught on tape confessing to a crime, what has happened to that?” he said.
He stressed that till the government fishes out and prosecutes the ‘big men’ financing the illicit gold trade, the menace will continue and its effect on the environment will be direr.
“Till we start going after the supposed big people, and I agree with Charles Bissue when he talks about it, it’s not only people who are in government, anybody who is in including Kenneth Ashigbey if I’m found to be involved in it, till we start going after these people, the fight is going to be difficult.
“Because the people on the ground see it and know that the people buying the gold from them, financing these things are very highly connected people. And we’re not doing anything about them so how dare us come back to them and come and ask them ‘why are you engaging in this particular illegality?’
“So I think it is important that all of us draw a line in the sand and say at this particular point we’re going to go after everybody who is involved in it.”
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