Galamsey: NDC criminals have taken over from NPP criminals – Ken Ashigbey alleges

The Convenor of the Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining, Dr Kenneth Ashigbey, has pointed to politically-exposed individuals as the biggest obstacle in the nation’s fight against illegal mining.

While recognising the efforts of the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Dr Ashigbey, in an interview on JoyNews, stated that a form of transition has taken place between elements of the erstwhile New Patriotic Party (NPP) government engaged in illegal mining, and the current National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.

This, he stated, has taken a new twist as these persons have not only exchanged places, but have also gone into collaboration in their efforts to perpetuate the illegal mining activities, which pose a threat to Ghana’s ecological reserves.

“Some work is happening, but unfortunately, the criminals are still at work, and they are still doing what they are doing. So, the criminal transition that we saw in 2016 and 2017 has happened again. What you are beginning to see happening is that this time, not only do you see the NDC criminals taking over from the NPP criminals, but you are also having the NPP criminals go to the NDC criminals and say, ‘Yes, your party is in power, but I have the equipment, I have the people here already. Come and be at the front of it, take 60% of it, and we will hide behind you with 40%.’ So, these gangs; these people who are wrecking our country, are still at work,” he stated during the interview.

He, however, vouched for the minister’s commitment to dealing with the menace, while emphasising the challenge of overcoming resistance from politically-exposed and influential individuals.

“We told the minister that the challenge he has to deal with is the politically-exposed people who are involved in this. But one of the things I can tell you, walking out of that meeting, is that we have a minister who really wants to fight this. The only interesting thing is that he will not tell you that, but he is being fought by people both within his party and even from outside his party; the NPP as well. The political class is steeped in the middle of this,” he stated.

He further noted the presence of Chinese nationals in the galamsey space, adding that the situation, compounded by the recruitment of armed mercenaries by the galamseyers, is a looming national security crisis.

“With the danger about that, you need to just go back and look at what happened in Liberia, happened in Sierra Leone, and happened with Boko Haram. So, you get these people providing you with security, and you are paying them with gold that has now crossed the five-thousand mark, and so there is a lot of money in it. What will eventually happen is that they will see that there is money in this thing. ‘Why don’t we ourselves get involved in this?’

“And if you have a situation where nine of your forest reserves, nine of the territories of Ghana, have been taken over, we all don’t want to call it now. But beyond the galamsey, there is a war that is being waged within our territories,” he said.

Despite being only a few months in office, pressure is mounting on the new administration of John Dramani Mahama to take drastic measures against illegal mining.

GA/AE

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