A Non-Governmental Organization called itself as Patriotic Advocates for Truth, Peace, and Development; Ghana wants the President to dismiss Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) whose areas small scale illegal mining activities continue to take place unabated.
This, the NGO says should be part of measures to deal with the upsurge of illegal mining in the country.
Commenting on the development, the Founder and Convener of the organization, Mr. Isaac Kobina Ochem, said beyond empowering state institutions, officials who are at the helm of affairs at the various districts must be held responsible.
He said MMDCE’S who still have galamsey happening in their area should pay the ultimate price of being kicked out [of office] so that we can get more competent people there. We need to hold people accountable for the duties that they are supposed to be performing so that we can deal with this canker.
Below is the full statement
For Immediate Release
Patriotic Advocates for Truth, Peace, and Development, Ghana, is a Non-Governmental Organization, NGO, and non-partisan with the motive of championing and supporting policies and social interventions that will benefit the Ghanaian voter irrespective of which political party in power.
The Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo led NPP government on assumption of power in 2017, implemented and initiated an aggressive policy to clamp down on illegal mining activities, popularly called Galamsey which over the years has caused total destruction to our river, water bodies, our forest reserves, and the environment at large.
This laudable initiative was supported by traditional authorities, the clergy, civil society organizations, and Ghanaians in general.
The president of the republic through the support of the legislature, and the judiciary, set up a national security task force team made up of the military and police personal who were deployed to every mining community across the length and breadth of this country to arrest illegal miners which they chalked numerous successes after arresting recalcitrant galamseyers some of whom were prosecuted at the law courts and jailed whiles some foreigners who were also engaging in the illegal mining activities were also deported.
In recent times the Patriotic Advocates for Truth, Peace and Development, Ghana, through its observation after visiting most of the mining communities, revealed, some Metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives in the mining areas are sabotaging and undermining the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo’s agenda of waging war on illegal miners.
Some of these MMDCE’s in the mining areas who should rather support the task force team of the monitoring and evaluation who have been mandated by the state and are being paid by the taxpayer’s money to arrest these illegal miners are rather making things difficult of the task force operational activities.
Credible and authentic information available to the Patriotic Advocates for Truth, Peace and Development, Ghana, after errands the group embarked upon in the mining areas across the country, revealed some MMDCE’s and NPP constituency party executives are engaging in galamsey activities which is clear sabotage to the Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo led NPP government.
We have also observed, the numerous efforts being put up by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Lawyer Kwaku Asomah Cheremeh to fight the illegal mining activities are also being sabotaged by some self-seeking and greedy government appointees who are linked to illegal mining activities.
As an advocacy group, we are appealing to the president not to hesitate to fire any Mmdce found culpable in galamsey activities in his jurisdiction to serve as a deterrent to others.
We are also making an appeal to the government to engage us when the need arises to expose some of these self-seeking government appointees, who do not care about the future of our country Ghana,
God bless our homeland Ghana and help us continue with the peaceful atmosphere we are enjoying.
Signed
Isaac Kobina Ochem
(Founder and convenor)
Patriotic Advocates for Truth; Peace and Development, Ghana.
Source: Mybrytfmonline/Evans Boateng
