The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has dismissed calls for his resignation over the government’s handling of illegal mining widely known as galamsey.
According to him, there is no need to step down, stating that while people are entitled to their opinions in a democracy, he disagrees with calls for his removal.
In an interview on Joy FM’s Newsnight on Thursday, September 12 he said: “I have heard other groups say that the president should be impeached and so and so forth. In a democracy, with the greatest of respect, people are entitled to express views and so on and so forth. I don’t find the need for that,” he stated.
Groups like the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Agriculture, Aquaculture, and Fisheries have called for the minister’s removal claiming he and his deputies have failed to address the galamsey crisis, leading to environmental degradation, including the depletion of forests and destruction of water bodies.
Some members of the clergy have also called for the minister’s resignation.
But Mr Jinapor maintained that the government has made significant efforts in the fight against illegal mining.
He however noted that to achieve the ultimate results, there is a need for a collective effort to address the situation adding that the government is fully committed.
Asked whether he accepts to have failed since the water turbidity level is at 14,000 NTU, he replied: “I am not looking at this matter from the point of failure or success. The most important thing is that we have a framework and if we have to tweak it, we will do so.
“I have seen turbidity levels over the period go up and down… what is actually important is that we continue with the effort and that is exactly what we are trying to do.”