Has Mahama rescinded his decision to release the jailed illegal miners?

I was shocked to the bone when I recently chanced on a few video clips of some NDC officials, disgustingly giving morale and promising the recalcitrant galamseyers of a future NDC government’s unwavering support for their illegal activities.

What is more shocking from the video clips, is the revoltingly ugly attitude of one particular NDC official, who was captured on tape a few years ago, again unperturbed, and, convivially promising to go back to the galamsey sites to inform the illegal miners of NDC’s unfailing support for their criminal activities.

I am just wondering if the aggrieved University Teachers Association of Ghana(UTAG) has seen the seemingly squeamish video clips?

My dear reader, if you would recall, it was former President John Dramani Mahama who evocatively promised to release the jailed illegal miners during the 2020 electioneering campaign.

Back then, some of us humbly suggested that if the former president has a consuming desire to pardon the convicted illegal miners, he might as well free other criminals such as armed robbers, the goat thieves, plantain, mobile phone, cassava thieves, amongst others. After all, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

Isn’t it quite amazing to see no less a person than a former president of the land, who out of desperation, unblushingly playing down the menace of illegal mining?

If we are happy to send the goat, plantain, mobile phone and cassava thieves to the penitentiary, how much more the illegal miners who are bent on stealing our mineral resources, destroying the water bodies with noxious mercury and cyanide, and degrading the environment?

“Unlike some other West African countries, Ghana allows mercury use in mining. Mercury is freely available in shops and can be bought with a canister, bottle, or as a ball wrapped in a plastic cling film, and much of it has been brought in by Chinese miners (HRW 2014).”

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), exposure to mercury – even small amounts – may cause serious health problems, and is a threat to the development of the child in utero and early in life (WHO 2017).

Moreover, WHO insists that mercury may have toxic effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, and on lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes.

Besides, mercury is considered by WHO as one of the top ten chemicals or groups of chemicals of major public health concern (WHO 2017).

Given the extreme dangers associated with illegal mining, it was, indeed, a step in the right direction when President Akufo-Addo halted the artisan miners a few years ago, many of whom were said to have been using noxious mercury in their mining activities.

Regrettably, however, when the recalcitrant illegal miners were all over the place stealing our mineral resources, terrorising the indigenes and at the same time destroying the lands and water bodies, and President Akufo-Addo decided to place a ban on their activities, no less a person than former President Mahama bizarrely came out to oppose the NPP administration’s commendable efforts to curb the illegal activities (See: Stop chasing illegal miners with soldiers – Mahama to government;citinewsroom.com/ghanaweb.com, 28/04/2018).