Former Supreme Court judge, Justice William Atuguba has stated that now is not the appropriate time for President Akufo-Addo to remove the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Jinapor, given that the President’s term is coming to an end.
According to him, replacing the minister would not substantially resolve the issue of illegal mining, as the new minister would only have a few months to tackle it.
The Minority on the Works and Housing Committee has demanded the immediate removal of the lands minister and his deputies, accusing them of failing to protect Ghana’s water bodies from the harmful effects of illegal mining.
Speaking on JoyNews,‘ The Pulse, Justice Atuguba asked that, “can you say that the ‘powers that be’ have lived up to their mandate?”
“To some extent, we are all to blame. The President has how many months left to exit office? Is this the time for calling for this sort of thing? If he fires the minister and brings in a new one, how much work can he do within this time? And these are politicians—it is election season, and they are going about campaigning. This call should have come much earlier. I do not think the timing is right.”
Justice Atuguba asserted that it makes no difference whether the Minister is sacked, as he can still be motivated to improve his performance.
However, he pointed out that in any advanced country, the Minister of Natural Resources, Samuel Jinapor, would have resigned due to the pollution of water bodies caused by illegal mining.
Justice Atuguba emphasised that such resignations are standard practice in advanced nations.
He also noted that in Britain, many Prime Ministers have stepped down, with one even resigning after just three days in office.
“They act on principles, and that is what is lacking in Africa’s system. Principles are thrown to the gutters. Principles are aligned with our national life. It is opportunism; it is party affiliation, party loyalty, personal loyalty. These are the things, and it is very unfortunate.”
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