Galamsey could well give birth to dangerous warlords in Ghana according to United Nations analysis

Considering the deleterious effects of illegal mining activities, some of us are really struggling to comprehend how and why the Ghanaian authorities would refuse to use maximum force to flush out the Ghanaian illegal miners and their foreign counterparts, who are seizing our countryside, forcibly digging our gold, destroying the environment and worst of all terrorising the rural dwellers.

I will venture to stress that if we failed to sustain the fight against the seemingly insuperable illegal mining war, we risk a possible conflict between the incompliant galamseyers and the state futuristically.

According to the United Nations, since 1990, at least 18 violent conflicts have been instigated by the exploitation of natural resources, whether ‘high-value’ resources like timber, diamonds, gold, and oil, or scarce ones like fertile land and water’ (UN, 2017).

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) emphasises that in the last 60 years, at least 40% of all intrastate conflicts have a link to natural resources (UNEP, 2017).

Unsurprisingly, the United Nations has since mandated a few peacekeeping missions with a view to helping the host country to manage its natural resources efficiently.

One such example is the 2003 UN Resolution 1509, which sought to help the war thorn Liberia to protect its natural resources from illegal miners (UNEP, 2017).

The other UN mandated peacekeeping mission was the 2010 Resolution 1925, which aimed to protect life and property in the Democratic Republic of Congo (UEP, 2017).

In spite of the unprecedented destruction of the environment, the officials of successive administrations, including the outgone Mahama administration refused to halt the activities of the stubbornly impenitent illegal Chinese miners.

Some sceptics however maintain that it was during the erstwhile NDC administration that we saw the influx of Chinese illegal miners in our rural areas, many of whom were bent on stealing our mineral resources, destroying the environment and terrorising the indigenes.

If you may remember, the former Member of Parliament (MP) for Manso-Nkwanta, Joseph Albert Quarm, disclosed some time ago that he rejected an amount of $ 1 million as bribe from some Chinese nationals during his fight against illegal mining (galamsey).

According to the former MP, “the Chinese nationals who used some Ghanaians as middlemen tried to use the money to convince him and to enable them continue the illegalities in 2012” (See: ‘I rejected $1million as bribe from Chinese nationals-MP; adomfmonline.com/ghanaweb.com, 09/05/2017).

The former MP maintained that although he took the case to the Ashanti Regional Police Command, the police failed to proceed with the matter.

“I was arrested by the police for obstructing the Chinese galamseyers”, the former MP disclosed.

The former MP revealed that when he reported the matter to the Ashanti Regional Police Command, the police turned around and arrested him for preserving water bodies from illegal miners in his area.

In fact, the former Manso Nkwanta MP’s chilling revelation gave credence to the former Lands and Natural Resources Minister during Mahama’s administration, Inusah Fuseini’s sensational bribery claim.

It would be recalled that somewhere in April 2017, the former Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Inusah Fuseini, disclosed the presence of a well-oiled network of Chinese influence who are determined to keep the illegal mining business flourishing for their own benefit (See: ‘Chinese delegation attempted to bribe me over galamsey-Inusah Fuseini; myjoyfmonline.com/ghanaweb.com, 03/04/2017).

The Honourable Inusah Fuseini, however, revealed that the Chinese delegation had the temerity to offer him a bribe in the form of a sponsorship of his child to the top schools abroad.

According to the former minister, he turned down the Chinese delegation’s lucrative offer and did his utmost best to halt the menace of illegal mining.

I, for one, will continue to salute the aforesaid former Members of Parliament for showing their patriotism, affection and solicitude towards the wellbeing of Ghana.

The all-important question every well-meaning Ghanaian should be asking then is: who shamefully grabbed the alleged high-powered Chinese delegation’s gargantuan blood money?

Obviously, under the erstwhile NDC administration, the galamsey business was booming despite efforts by a few patriots to halt the menace.

We also heard from credible sources that somewhere in 2016, a few Chinese illegal miners were arrested by the police but were later released without charge through high-powered interventions.

It was, therefore, not the least surprising that the illegal miners had the liberty to steal our natural resources, destroy the farming lands, pollute the water bodies with methyl mercury and noxious cyanide and then go scot free.

In fact, the credible sources chilling exposition back then gave maximum oxygen to the former Manso Nkwanta’s MP’s story.

According to the former MP, he was bizarrely arrested by the police for trying to protect the water bodies from the illegal miners. How strange?

We can therefore deduce that the illegal miners can easily bribe their way through and take advantage of the absence of monitoring and enforcement of the existing laws and regulations.

If that were not the case, how on earth would foreigners seize our countryside, steal our gold and destroy the environment and go scot free?

Although chiefs and other individuals own the lands in Ghana, “every mineral in its natural state in, under or upon land in Ghana, rivers, streams, water-courses throughout the country, the exclusive economic zone and an area covered by the territorial sea or continental shelf is the property of the Republic and is vested in the President in trust for the people of Ghana” (Minerals Act 2006).

While the Chiefs and individuals own the lands, the government of Ghana has the absolute ownership of all the mineral resources therein.

In that regard, The Chiefs and other individuals do not have the audacity to allocate mining lands to individuals who are not in receipt of mining concessions. Nevertheless, some Chiefs are allegedly in the habit of colluding with foreign illegal miners to steal our precious minerals.

Somehow, the uncaring Chiefs are colluding with the criminals to steal our natural resources. Thus, going forward, it would only be fair on Ghanaians if such offending Chiefs are prosecuted accordingly.

We cannot and must not allow some criminally-minded foreigners, greedy politicians, mindless -minded Ghanaians, and chiefs who do not have the nation at heart and only harbour ulterior motives to enrich themselves at the expense of the rest of Ghanaians.