Security expert Mr Andrews Asiedu Tetteh has claimed that the reason President John Dramani Mahama has refused to declare a state of emergency over illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, is that he may be benefitting from the destructive trade.
He stated that despite numerous proposals and recommendations from industry experts, the President has remained adamant about taking decisive action. He argued that the crisis has reached alarming levels nationwide, making an immediate state of emergency essential to allow the government to mobilise the required security, legal, and institutional resources to confront illegal miners aggressively.
Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Mr Asiedu Tetteh voiced his frustration at the government’s inertia and called for structural overhauls to tackle corruption and streamline prosecutions.
“The fight against galamsey has not succeeded because our leaders have done very little in dealing with it. We have people granted licenses breaching the mining laws, and we have people who are not licensed taking concessions from licensed miners. Most importantly, we have those in charge of dealing with galamsey accepting bribes to allow illegal mining to continue,” he stated.
“Additionally, we have recommended to the President to declare a state of emergency, but he has refused, claiming that his security advisors have not advised him to do so. Any government or President who refuses to declare a state of emergency over galamsey is benefitting from the activities of illegal mining or galamsey. He and his people are direct beneficiaries or benefitting from galamsey… About 80 percent of agencies, individuals, and institutions tasked with the fight against galamsey have been compromised. The situation has reached alarming levels across the country. President Mahama should rethink the state of emergency because it is long overdue.”
He further criticised President Mahama’s security advisers, describing them as “bankrupt” in their approach to addressing the galamsey menace. According to him, these advisers have failed to provide the necessary strategic direction needed to halt the destruction of the country’s water bodies, forests, and farmlands. He warned that the Ghana Armed Forces risk losing their relevance in the national fight against illegal mining if urgent action is not taken.
To curb the destruction, Mr Asiedu Tetteh called on the relevant authorities to establish mechanisms for fast-track courts dedicated exclusively to handling galamsey cases.
His comments follow President Mahama’s announcement that one of the strategies under consideration is the establishment of military camps at illegal mining sites to combat the threat. Mr Asiedu Tetteh noted that while the proposal to station military personnel in galamsey-prone communities was suggested long ago and ignored by previous administrations, he welcomed the President’s decision to revisit the strategy as an acknowledgment of the crisis’s urgency.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana