The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has expressed unhappiness about the fight against illegal mining commonly called ‘galamsey’ in the country.
He has questioned the failure of the security agencies to bring finality to the situation after several years of purported action.
According to him, traditional authorities cannot be hold liable for illegal mining when they are not in charge of giving concession and issuing permits.
He indicated that the licenses are issued without recourse to traditional authorities.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II expressed his unhappiness when the US Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia E. Palmer, paid a courtesy call on him at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.
The Asantehene questioned the relevance of District and Municipal Security Councils (DISECs) over their failure to fight the galamsey menace.
He wondered when for several years the government launched the fight against illegal mining, with a team made up of both the military and police yet little result has been achieved.
“At the district level, we have the political administration, District Chief Executive, and the Security Council. Are they all saying that they are unaware of the activities of these galamseyers? If they are unable to detect and stop the operation of these galamseyers then they are unworthy to be there, it is as simple as that.”
“We should have brought finality to this issue by now. The President had even put his presidency on the line, and yet this is going on. To me, something is wrong somewhere.”
Asantehene though acknowledged the challenges confronting the country couple with high unemployment rate, but mentioned that that should not supersede the environmental devastation ongoing.
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By Vincent Kubi