Top NPP, NDC kingpins frustrating the fight against galamsey - Charles Bissue

Former Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Small Scale Mining, Mr Charles Onuawonto Bissue, has revealed that there are top politicians from the circles of both the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) hell-bent on frustrating the efforts at clamping down on illegal mining popularly known as Galamsey.

According to him, throughout his tenure at the mainstream taskforce against the Galamsey menace, he rejected a lot of juicy inducements from top officials seeking to buy their way through to engage in the act.

He said, “when they try and they don't succeed, they start to sabotage you and the government and made a special reference to the Anas Galamsey video.”

Mr Charles Bissue, currently on a visit in the USA was speaking to UTV’s Afia Pokuaa on ‘Critical Issues’.

Mr Bissue corroborated recent revelations made by Kennedy Agyapong, Assin Central MP and Abronye DC that the real galamsey kingpins are top politicians.

Mr Bissue recommended that for the renewed fight against the galamsey menace to succeed, there is an urgent need to de-politicise it and deal with the issue once and for all.

"The Galamsey menace is similar to the drug cartel, I say this because it does not have any political colouration. Therefore, the fight against this canker would require a collective effort and the support of Ghanaians and all stakeholders," Mr Bissue stated.

He commended the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, for such a bright start in the galamsey fight and ensuring that Ghana's natural resources are saved from the talons of these illegal gold miners.

Charles Bissue stated that he was proud of President Akufo-Addo particularly for the confidence he reposed in him at the time of his office that was mandated to deal with the galamsey.

"I think we did our best and I thank the President for the confidence he had in me and so on any day, I'm ever ready to serve in any capacity again to help in the development of the country."

It would be recalled that President Nana Akufo-Addo, recently reaffirmed his commitment towards a renewed political will to deal with illegal mining that is causing massive depletion of Ghana's water bodies and natural resources.

It is against this background that Charles Bissue continues to lend his support in getting rid of this grave environmental canker.