The Fight Against Galamsey, Just A Mirage or The Reality

Ghana is one of the few countries that has been endowed with numerous natural resources and one of those resources whose extraction has raised alot of concerns is the precious metal called gold.

Gold extraction dates back to the pre colonial and colonial era so the extraction of gold has been carried out over five hundred years ago.

Those around that period saw the wisdom on the need to sustain and conserve the environment for their future generations then it got to our turn and what do we see.

Galamsey now seems like an oxygen on which people have to engage themselves in order to survive. We all agreed that unemployment remains a major problem to the country but does this illegal mining which is not sustainable the solution to this problem? So are we happy with the manner in which these few people who are into this disastrous activities have been destroying our environment? Right from the political leaders to the local authorities it seems no one cares about this canker again. Those of us who come from rural areas can testify the irreparable damages that these people have been causing to the environment.

Those who have the power to protect our natural resources have now become accomplices of this activity. Right from the Presidency to the local authorities. Talk about the police, District Chief Executives, Environmental Protection Agency( very useless state institution) officials and surprisedly some of the local chiefs have all been engaging in this destructive activities.

The government efforts to end this canker has been a total deception as the situation has gone beyond worse to worst, the whole thing now seems like the government has legalize the whole thing. This is very pathetic because in the long run we the average and poor citizens will be at the receiving end of this evil activity .

Look at how arable lands are being destroyed, water bodies being heavily polluted and valuable vegetations being removed. The current economic hardship being experienced in the country is not experienced by any of the the politicians from the both sides, those who are crying wolf are just doing so for political power so if we the local indigens set aloof for only few selfish people to toy with our future, our children yet to come will never forgive us. How many of us can import water, foodstuffs from other countries if the need arises? Have we considered the health hazards that these illegal mining poses? Are we downplaying the recent research by medical professionals which show how our women have been giving birth to deformed babies to heavy cyanide and metallic pollutions resulting from the activities of this illegal mining? The most annoying aspect of this devilish activity is that only three (3) out of ten(10) people make good use of the monies got from these galamsey.

The NPP /NDC has demonstrated clearly enough they are never ready to do anything to help curb this menace, some of these political architect have been captured on videos instigating the public against security personnels, others promising to grant amnesty to jailed perpetrators of this illegal mining, others too campaigning at galamsey site encouraging the perpetrators to vote them into power, so the burden rests on you and I.

I am urging every concern citizen to stand up and defend and the protect our natural resources from this nation wreckers. This land of ours and it's natural resources have been jealously guarded by some people with their blood till it got to our turn so why are we not doing the same?

Have we forgotten the role of the Aborigines Rights Protection Society?

Shockingly some foreign nationals have been permitted by some of chiefs to destroy our environment in the name of employment.

Ghana is for all of us to including our future generations and not for only few people.

Stop the galamsey now.