The Most Reverend John Bonaventure Kwofie, Catholic Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, has urged President John Dramani Mahama to fulfil his promise to ban illegal mining (galamsey).
He reminded the President of his pledge to end galamsey activities, including those in forest reserves, within his first 120 days in office.
“The Catholic Church is concerned about galamsey activities because they are ‘killing’ the public,” he stated during his Easter Sunday homily at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra.
“The Ghanaian public placed a big trust in you. This trust is ephemeral; we can easily forget. Mr President, know this: eyes are watching you.
“…We take this promise seriously because galamsey is killing us. One hundred and twenty days — yes, you crossed the 100-day mark a few days ago, and you are left with fewer than 20 days.
“We want to remind you: we voted you into office because of your stance on galamsey and many other evils plaguing our country. In fact, you displayed the high ethical standards we need in Ghanaian politics. We believe you can do it,” he said.
Archbishop Kwofie revealed that illegal miners from across West Africa — including Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Togo, and Guinea — were reportedly living in Abrewa Nne Nkran.
He called for decisive action to clear forest hideouts used for illegal activities, saying, “Let’s have men like Nana Bosompem — men with integrity and courage — who would not question where we went right or wrong in the legal system, and our forestry will return to normal.”
Reflecting on Easter, Archbishop Kwofie spoke about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which he said caused “great excitement and commotion.”
“Never before has anyone reported news such as this. It has never happened in our common history, and indeed, no one understood it. But Christ has risen to put to shame those who said there was no resurrection,” he noted.
Archbishop Kwofie explained that Christ’s resurrection symbolised the rebirth of humanity, calling all to rise from the tomb of injustice and wickedness.
“This is dying to the ‘old man’ of injustice, wickedness, infidelity, and disrespect, and rising to the ‘new man’ of justice, respect for one another, and faithfulness in all we do.
“That is why we are told in the second reading to clear out the old yeast and seek the things above (Colossians 3:1–4; 1 Corinthians 5:6–8),” he said.
The Archbishop noted that many empty tombs exist in Christians’ lives, symbolising the starting point of vital new growth.
“Jesus indeed turns our bad times into great blessings. He makes His story of resurrection our story. This is the story of Easter — our sadness turns into joy! Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia, and a Happy Easter,” he said.
The congregation, mostly dressed in white to signify victory over death, celebrated Christ’s resurrection on the third day after His crucifixion.
Unlike the sombre atmosphere of Good Friday, Easter Sunday was filled with joyful singing and dancing, marking new beginnings.
Songs performed during the celebration included Christ the Lord Is Risen Today, Christ Arose, Thine Be the Glory, and Yesu Adi Nkunim, among others.
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