Posterity will judge the current generation of Ghanaians negatively if they fail to protect the country’s natural resources.
The level of destruction of our forests is beyond description, and it hurts to think that our leaders appear to have given up on their responsibilities of protecting our natural resources. Worryingly, some of our political leaders are complicit in the destruction of our forests and water bodies.
During the erstwhile political administration, the impression was that government was not doing enough to curb the destruction of our forests and water bodies by illegal gold prospectors. Enter those who claimed to have the antidote to the recurring challenge and things have rather worsened.
A couple of days ago, the President directed the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to investigate persons who are known figures in the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) for their alleged involvement in illegal mining in our country’s forests.
The persons the President wants investigated are big men in the ruling party, and many Ghanaians are skeptical about whether or not something productive would come out of the so-called investigation being ordered. We too share in this skepticism, our doubt hinged upon past experience.
We recall the brouhaha surrounding the investigation and subsequent arrest of Bernard Antwi Boasiako aka Chairman Wontumi over suspected illegal mining activities.
His bail conditions were so punitive that questions were posed as to whether his captors intended in giving him bail at all.
It was generally seen to be a political case, and so is the one under review.
Those the President is asking to be investigated, according to the Attorney General, are based on credible intelligence report engaged in illegalities such as running an unauthorised anti-galamsey taskforce in the gold mining areas.
If only proper investigations would be carried out, not for the optics anyway, we would have gone a long way in enforcing the relevant laws against illegal mining.
We cannot be sure if this is not a political gimmick. We are yet to hear whether or not the suspects have been arrested or even invited in line with the President’s directive.
We have sadly learnt about how over six thousand excavators have been registered in the past six months and these headed for the gold-bearing forests of the country.
Our eyes are on EOCO to see how the President’s directive through the Attorney General would be actioned.
The plethora of agencies engaged in the so-called anti-galamsey war speaks volumes about how we are failing as a nation in protecting our natural resources. Greed and hypocrisy have taken the better part of us.
Until there is any attitudinal change on our part, especially our political leaders, the vandalisation of our forests continues unabated.