The Omanhene of the Essikado Traditional Area, Nana Kobina Nketsia V, says the future of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government will heavily depend on their success with the current fight against galamsey.
Nana Nketsia, who expressed worry over the impact of galamsey activities on water supply to the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis, said this when the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor called on him as part of his two-day tour of the Western Region.
The Omanhene of Essikado charged the Lands Minister to deal with the illegal miners for his own political good and that of the government.
“Anyone involved in galamsey is a criminal. He or she is anti-Ghana. We should blame ourselves [for this] and learn from this… Your [NPP] government, whether it progresses or loses power, will be dependent on [the fight against] galamsey. We don’t have water, look at the population here. I don’t even have money to dig a borehole. It was only recently that some friends came and said they will dig the borehole for me.”
“How many people will have those friends who will be able to get the money to dig a borehole? People sit in the comfort of their homes and forget the struggling masses. I will plead with you to do something about the situation,” the chief stated.
Meanwhile, the sector minister, Abu Jinapor has pledged that the NPP government will use every means available to it to fight illegal small-scale mining.
He clarified that the government, especially President Akufo-Addo, is not against mining in the country but is against the illegal practices that leave the country’s land and water resources destroyed.
“We all know about the issue of galamsey in the country. It is a big issue in Ghana now. We are not fighting against mining. What the President said he does not agree with is how we are going about the mining and destroying our water bodies and the environment,” he said.
