The ongoing unstoppable illegal mining (Galamsey) menace will eventually spell doom for Ghana

Ghanaian politicians in the face of the ongoing devastating illegal small scale and alluvial mining, thus, galamsey, are comparable to a famished dog sitting behind a bar of soap. In such circumstance, there is nothing that the dog can do to quench its hunger. This is the same level that the Ghanaian politicians have reduced themselves to when it comes to solving the ongoing potentially deadly galamesy activities in the country. They feel completely incapacitated.

The ruling NPP government led by President Nana Akufo-Addo initiated and took bold decision to deal with the galamsey issue only to be sabotaged by the opposition NDC party led by Mr John Dramani Mahama.

When the president ordered the seizures and destruction of galamsey machineries found on galamsey sites, many were partisan and polarised Ghanaians that criticised him for their parochial interests and lack of vision.

How NDC and Mr John Mahama for want of political power undermined President Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP government on the issue of the fight to eradicate the destructive galamsey activities is too obvious to many a Ghanaian hence pointless for me to recount them in this publication.

As President Akufo-Addo has not succeeded in reducing the impact of galamsey on Ghana water bodies, forests, fertile and arable lands, so shall Mr John Mahama not be able to do anything to stop it, if not rather to encourage the activities manifold to speed up the death of Mother Ghana and her children.

During the 2020 general elections, the NDC with Mr John Mahama were visiting galamsey sites assuring those into galamsey of their massive support to resource them if they voted to bring NDC to power hence the resultant hung parliament in Ghana today with all its attendant confusions and nonsenses.

Again, Mr Mahama has publicly announced to the nation that if he wins election 2024, he will release all those legally prosecuted and serving custodial sentences by the exercise of his presidential pardon.

If that is the position of NDC and Mr John Dramani Mahama, does it not go to confirm that under their government should they win the election, the galamsey menace is going to get worse than we see today?

It seems it is not within the clout of the current duopoly NPP and NDC practice of politics in Ghana to successfully address the chronically hazardous illegal mining activities in Ghana but a military leadership that will stop it instantly by only one radio announcement backed by a decree.

Many a sensible Ghanaian is clamouring for an end to the devastating galamsey activities that are potentially spelling doom for Ghana.

Why should we sit and watch with arms folded around the chest like fools without brains knowing how dangerously galamsey spearheaded by a few greedy politicians, rich and criminal Ghanaians with their supporting teams of foreign nationals, especially the Chinese, to destroy the future of Ghana for us?

Our rivers, the source of potable water, are almost all contaminated by the poisonous cyanide and mercury used to extract the gold from the earth dug. This is made worse by the direct digging for gold from the rivers’ beds.

Who cares from where a saviour will come from to stop the galamsey?

The devastation cannot, and should not, keep on going under the obviously demonstrated incompetence by our democratic politicians to truncate or decapitate the menace to bring relief to Ghana and Ghanaians.

In my candid opinion, the NDC are more guilty in the fight against galamsey than the NPP, concluding from their expressed support for those actively engaged in galamsey activities.

I am sure, if any one elected as president following the upcoming election 2024 is unable to decisively address the galamsey issue, the public may be obliged to seek the assistance of the military in a leadership capacity to solve the problem.

A nation without potable water but flowing rivers of mud is not a nation. A nation without healthy forests and fertile and arable lands stands to suffer from hunger in the long term. A nation without visionary, honest, dynamic, dedicated but overflowing with insatiably greedy, selfish, visionless, and vainglorious leaders, risks collapsing as it is gradually becoming the case of Ghana, the land of my birth.

The ministry of lands and mineral resources must stop issuing further licences for the prospecting and or, digging for gold, amid the public outcry for the stoppage of the ruinous galamsey activities uncontrollably ongoing in the country.

Rockson Adofo