John Mahama
FORMER PRESIDENT John Dramani Mahama has accused President Akufo-Addo of superintending illegal mining activities in the country, alleging some key members of his government and party are neck-deep in the operation.
According to him, the President is unable to prosecute the notorious illegal gold mining offenders because the executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) allegedly have concessions and are operating in forest reserves.
The President’s main political rival urged him to resign, indicating that President Akufo-Addo lacks the political will to stop illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
“If he (Akufo-Addo), were in some other jurisdictions, he would have resigned by now. Like his word, he put his presidency on the line,” Mr. Mahama stated in an interview with TV3 on Monday.
He continued, “Because now, his own people have been found to be the ones engaged [in galamsey]; all their party executives have concessions and are doing illegal mining in forest reserves. It’s a pity. But it is close to him and that is why he can’t deal with it,” he stressed.
“If you go to the districts, they talk about community mining. Community mining, it is the NPP executives and the DCEs doing it. They are the ones doing what they are doing, and how can you expect him to fight galamsey when his own people are involved in it,” he argued.
Mr. Mahama, who is gunning to lead the opposition NDC, repeated, “he lacks the political will to fight galamsey. It makes very nice verbiage when you talk about it and express the will to do something about it.”
“Actions speak louder than words. Our river bodies are still the coffee colour they were; maybe they were milo, and they look coffee now. It is getting darker,” he asserted.
“They all know those who are doing it. The chanfan machines are there. It is not something you can put in a handbag and walk and go and do it there,” Mahama posited.
He added, “They put it there, so how come you can’t find chanfan machines that are washing all that mud into the river bodies? I think he has failed when it comes to illegal gold mining.”
Chinese Deportation
The 2020 NDC presidential candidate wondered why the President could not deal with the Chinese illegal miners.
“We have the relationship with the Chinese, but if you are a Ghanaian and you go to China and get engaged in illegality, they don’t say because of the good relation we have with Ghana, they are going to let you go scot-free. You will face the full rigorous of the law in China.
“I don’t doubt that there are some of our people in jail in China,” he noted.
“When I became President, I was faced with the same illegal gold mining, I deported almost 5,000 Chinese illegal miners. I didn’t say because of the good relations we have with China, we should allow them to continue to engage in this illicit activity,” he stated.
According to him, his government collaborated with the Chinese Embassy, which came to take their nationals away, pointing out that this did not destroy Ghana’s relationship with China.
BY Ernest Kofi Adu