Chairman of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee Ken Agyepong is urging President Akufo-Addo to first take concrete actions against NPP officials involved in Galamsey or the fight will be lost.
The outspoken member alleged that a number of top government and party officials are involved in illegal mining undermining the efforts of government to deal with it.
“I pity President Akufo Addo, because for this fight, if the president doesn’t clean his house, we will not win. If you see the number of top NPP officials involved in galamsey whom I tried to fight and lost, you’d be shocked,” he said.
Speaking on his television network, Net 2 TV, the vociferous MP also supported the burning of excavators seized at illegal mining sites.
“They have to burn the excavators or some will go and sell them in Cote D’Ivoire, if not then give them back their owners,” he disclosed.
The Assin Central MP also alleged that a number of MCEs are involved in illegal mining.
“I know a lot of MCEs who are involved. President Akufo Addo, you have to clean your house first if not we will never win the fight. The NDC are also involved. I have said this and if anyone challenges me, I will mention names because they are sabotaging the president”, he stressed.
Since government started its fight against galamsey, there are those who have described the fight as a charade because according to them government is acting blind to NPP and state officials who are involved in the act that is wreaking havoc on the environment.
The Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has challenged government and other stakeholders to be truthful in the fight against the menace.
Speaking at a Regional Consultative Dialogue on Small Scale Mining in the Ashanti Region, the Asantehene noted that the Ashanti Regional Minister and Lands amd Natural Resources Minister had appealed to him to stick to his written script and not make controversial statements.
But the monarch went out of his script and noted that the people engaged in Galamsey are known. “If we don’t speak the truth, we will organize conferences like this and nothing will happen.”
