We need Charles Bissue back - Anti-galamsey drone pilots appeal

Drone Pilots of Government's anti-galamsey programme have appealed to President Akufo Addo to compel state agencies to expedite investigations on Mr Charles Bissue, Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining.

Mr Bissue was captured in the Anas Tiger Eye video on Anti Galamsey in Ghana.

The Drone Pilots are worried, the absence of Mr Charles Bissue is negatively impacting their work.

According to a statement signed by Mr Emmanuel Quagraine, a Drone Pilot, the lack of effectiveness in activities coordination has led to a setback in the general administration of their work.

A situation he attributes to the absence of Mr Charles Bissue is the main administrator of the secretariat.

It would be recalled, in order to scale up the initiative, the Committee deplored the use of specialised drones that could among many other functions, relay real-time photographic data to enable the team to locate areas being used for illegal mining.

Since the introduction of the specialised drones, the IMCIM had able to undertake a comprehensive mapping of areas being mined illegally, identify lands that need to reclaimed accordingly.

Mr Quagraine emphasised the need for investigations to be expedited on Mr Bissue as portrayed by the Anas Galamsey video.

The statement said "when Charles Bissue was at post, he was everywhere to make sure that our water bodies and lands were protected. However, a look now at the Rivers Ankobra and Pra would give the public the extent of setback being experienced with a recurrence of the pollution witnessed before".

Read below the full statement

We need Charles Bissue back to Office - Drone Pilots

It looks like it has been a decade waiting for the truth to be revealed but yet we all look like we have been all fooled to believe accusations from undercover journalist Anas and Tiger Eye PI.

We the drone pilots of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) hereby appeal the President of the Nation, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo Addo, to call Mr Charles Bissue back to Office as investigations are expedited.

Our request is to let the President be aware that the absence of Charles Bissue has derailed a lot of progress made in the fight against Galamsey especially in the Western, Western North and Ashanti regions.

Mr President, Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation and All stakeholders, if we really mean to fight this canker befalling the Nation then we must do it right and be resolute.

When Charles Bissue was at post, he was everywhere, making sure that our water bodies and lands were protected.

But now just take a look at River Ankobra, River Pra and other rivers that were made clean during Bissues time in office and one would know the extent of damage made.

We believe that Anas Aremeyaw Anas has fooled us all with his so-called expose themed "Galamsey Fraud".

We the drone pilots are also making it known that Charles Bissue's resignation has affected our duties in various districts as to not knowing when we will start operations or when some of us will be called to duty because Bissue had been doing that as part of his functions. Now we seem lost.

#We live for Ghana #We work for Ghana #LetEndGalamsey #LetWorkForGhana

Signed:

Emmanuel Quagraine Shama District Drone Pilot 0248594739 0264594739

Nanabenyin Franklin Wassa East District Drone Pilot 0242049521 0244225960

Kipo Isaac Tuna Sawla District Pilot

Nicholas Ntiamoah Bekwai Municipal Drone pilot

Edward Amoako Boateng, Asutifi South District Drone Pilot