The National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Sunday, 16th February 2020, held a press conference at the River Pra in the Eastern Region on government’s failure to deal with the galamsey menace.
The NDC is demanding public exhibition of all excavators, weapons and mining equipment seized from illegal miners as the debate over the disappearance of some earth moving machines used for mining continue.
“We insist that a public exhibition of all 900 excavators, 2,779 weapons and ammunitions and the 4,045 other mining equipment confiscated must be held in the spirit of transparency and to the benefit of all Ghanaians.
We are terrified at the prospect of all these weapons finding their way into the hands of hoodlums belonging to NPP vigilante groups in an election year”, National Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi had said at a press conference held at the banks of the brownish looking River Pra.
Lamenting about the continues activities of illegal miners and the state of major river bodies across the country, the outspoken Communications Officer accused President Akufo-Addo of sitting unconcerned as top members of his party engage in illegal mining with impunity.
ALSO: NDC to hold presser on ‘havoc of failed galamsey fight’
‘Galamsey’ has intensified to unprecedented levels in the last three (3) years, while the Akufo-Addo government continues to spend millions of taxpayers’ monies ostensibly fighting the canker.
“Anyone who thought President Akufo-Addo slept on this task is mistaken. Recent revelations of the missing 500 Excavators, and the illegal mining activities of government officials such as Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, Charles Bissue, Horace Ekow Ewusi, and NPP officials, notably John Boadu and Chairman Wontumi, shows that, Akufo-Addo’s so-called fight against “Galamsey” was a sham from day one.
“These latest revelations of thievery and massive corruption confirm our long held position, that President Akufo-Addo’s so-called fight against “galamsey” was a well-thought-out masterplan, designed to take over the illicit trade and inturn use its proceeds to fund the New Patriotic Party (NPP)”, he alleged.
ALSO: NDC wants Akufo-Addo removed as Co-Chair of UN SDGs Advocates
To this effect, Mr Gyamfi said the NDC will soon petition the United Nations to revoke President Akufo-Addo’s appointment as Co-Chair of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Advocates.
“Clearly, President Akufo-Addo has failed to show genuine commitment to the fight against illegal mining and the protection of the environment in his own backyard.
His corrupt government has become an active enabler and promoter of the ‘galamsey’ menace and the destruction of the environment in a way that affronts the SDGs of the United Nations.
He has proven to be unfit for the prestigious position of Co-Chair of the UN SDGs Advocates, for which reason he must be removed without delay. And, we are absolutely convinced beyond doubt that the United Nations will act in the interest of the Ghanaian people, the international community and the environment,” he said.
The leader of the special monitoring, evaluation, evacuation and investigation operations of the Operation Vanguard has said the taskforce has started retrieving some excavators that went missing following their seizure.
Nana Boadi said his team found the excavators on some mining sites following a tour and have since repossessed them.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story, Mr Boadi in response to where the excavators were said “they are with the miners. We can find them anywhere they are mining and we have started retrieving them.”
According to Mr Boadi, their investigations have revealed that “at the time the excavators were supposed to evacuate all the machines to Accra, that was when they got the chance to divert them and some were given back by the police and the assembly.”