The Bishop of Koforidua Diocese of the Catholic, Most Rev.Joseph Afrifa Agyekum has expressed his extreme disappointment over the lackadaisical manner in which illegal mining menace is being fought by government.
According to the Bishop, despite government’s assurance to end the menace, it is rather becoming worse with involvement of Chinese still operating with their conspirators destroying river bodies and cocoa farms.
Speaking at Saturday January 21 at the 2023 day mass and induction ceremony for Rev.Fr.Benjamine Opoku Hene as New Headmaster of Pope John Senior High School and Junior Seminary in Koforidua, Eastern region ,Most Rev.Joseph Afrifa Agyekum minced no words when he spoke truth to power.
“Now to whoever ,the powers that be , let’s take this fight seriously else the future is not good .Just yesterday somebody told me CSIR has also cautioned that our water bodies have become so dirty not potable that the next couple of years we will have to import water into this country.How can we do that ?,how can we sit like that? .I drive pass Birim ,like coffee and milk.And this is Ghana”
Reacting to a recent news report that over seventy acres of cocoa farms as well as water bodies at Adum Dominase in the Western Region are being destroyed by Chinese illegal miners who have invaded community ,Most Rev Afrifa Agyekum was visibly upset that ,Ghana has succumbed so low allowing Chinese to destroy the country.
“.for me to hear yesterday that Chinese are involved in this .And I don’t fear to say this.To destroy my country,and then afterwards you leave here and go and enjoy the booty in your country.Ghana we’ll have to sit up.We have to sit up.Why have we succumbed so low. If these people(Chinese/foreigners ) are so powerful and more powerful than Ghanaians,then I don’t known this where are we going .Is it the Visa that they have to come into this country to do galamsey ,who gave them that resident permit ,and what work are they doing .Is anybody controlling it” Most Rev.Afrifa Agyekum chided.
Most Rev. Joseph Afrifa Agyekum said the consequences of illegal mining on water safety and food security is far reaching and devastating therefore encouraged all Ghanaians to speak up decisive action taken to end the illegal mining menace.
“And We are all sitting down.We are all keeping quiet .We have to continue to talk.Galamsey is going to kill this country.The money that you will get today will deprive so many Ghanaians a good livelihood.The politicians must listen to us .We voted you .Work for us . Parliamentarians ,chiefs ,Police ,army everybody.I am a Ghanaian so I have a right to speak the way I am speaking.I have my passport I don’t need passport to live in Ghana so I am free you can’t take this thing (passport) from me.It is not good. We have to be worried about what is going on”
“The amount money that we get and look at the vast land that have been destroyed.I don’t know what to say again.The powers that be let’s all sit up let’s take action else the future of Ghana I don’t know where we are going to go.It saddens my heart to be honest with your.I am 68 years that is why I am talking this way.i am older than some of the parliamentarians ,older than some of the Ministers and so I have also the right to speak the way I am speaking.And we will continue to harmer on this whether they listen to us or not .And I am happy the Asantehene is putting his weight behind it . Let’s all come together and let’s fight this menace”.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
