A lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Professor Eric Kyeh Kwabena Abavare, has advised President John Dramani Mahama to take decisive action to address illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
He warned that a failure to do so would dishonour the memory of the late Dr. Edward Omane Boamah.
He categorically stated that failure by the President would cause him to be pursued by the ghost of the late Dr. Edward Omane Boamah
Professor Abavare stated that addressing galamsey should be a top priority for the President, in line with the promises he made during the 2024 campaign period.
The lecturer expressed his view that the President’s recent remarks at a media engagement on September 10, 2025, have rendered “useless” the deaths of the eight individuals who perished in a recent helicopter crash.
He found it insulting to Ghanaians that the President, who had previously promised to declare a state of emergency on the issue, now claims such a measure is unnecessary.
Professor Abavare disclosed that the President had signed a pact with the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) and other unions to eradicate galamsey through measures that included the declaration of a state of emergency. He believes that the President’s current position on the matter is dishonest.
“In fact, that statement from the man has made useless the deaths of the eight helicopter crash victims and also Major Maxwell Mahama. That is a fact, and people can criticize me, but it remains a fact,” he said. “Based on his own statement exactly a year ago and signing a pact with some unions, including UTAG, for him to turn around and make these remarks, then what I can state is that he has been dishonest and has deceived Ghanaians.”
Professor Abavare maintained that the President has demonstrated he is only interested in winning power through deception. He warned that one of the major reasons the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was voted out of office was its inability to deal with galamsey.
“One of the major reasons we voted out the NPP was their failure in dealing with galamsey,” he said. “President Mahama himself made political capital out of this issue and stood on a platform and called the NPP out for their ineptitude. I called Akufo-Addo a joker. UTAG declared a strike over the matter. Mahama promised UTAG that we would deal ruthlessly with galamsey, and today, he is telling us we have not exhausted all the laws. This is a joke. If the two parties will continue to play games with us, with President Mahama and Akufo-Addo being the kingpins, then we thank them.”
He recounted that he was part of the meeting where the eight officials were attending, which saw the launch of a “responsible cooperative mining” initiative in Obuasi, where some individuals were still engaged in illegal mining.
To him, that initiative was a façade and a rebranding of illegal mining to legalize it.
He noted that Dr. Omane Boamah was a close confidant and that his “useless and needless death” would not be forgiven by his spirit. “He [Mahama] goes there and says this statement, the spirit and ghost of Omane Boamah will not forgive him, and it will chase after him for the comments he made about the state of emergency,” he concluded.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana