The immediate past moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Very Rev Professor Emmanuel Martey has chastised former President John Mahama for failing to stopping illegal small-scale mining also known as galamsey during his tenure of office.
According to Prof. Martey, Mahama’s administration failed to deal with the menace even after complaints were made to the president himself.
“It is too early to say that the present administration is not doing well. In fact it’s because they have come, and thanks to the media, also assisting, everybody knows that galamsey is a necessary evil which ought to be eliminated. I don’t want to go into politics but it was in Mahama’s administration that this thing became worst.”
“I met Mahama, we sat down and I complained about this galamsey. He told me that they’ve been able to identify the Ghanaian who was bringing the Chinese to Ghana so they will deal with it. But rather, things got worse,” he noted.
The outspoken priest made the comment at the grand opening of a new branch for C4C homeopathic clinic at Koforidua in the Eastern Region on Monday.
Prof. Martey further cautioned the Akufo-Addo administration to enforce stiffer punishment and laws on galamsey to eliminate the practice the act.
“So if the government will sit up and then selflessly manage our country, this galamsey business will be solved within a twinkle of an eye. Let the laws of the land work, if it means a minister who is caught breaking the law, he should face the consequence,” he added.
Government has put a moratorium on galamsey and small scale following a massive pressure on government to stop such activities in the country.
There have been complaints about the adverse effects of small-scale illegal mining on water bodies and the environment in general.
Some analysts have hinted that Ghana may soon import water if galamsey is not stopped now.
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
