Claim to End Galamsey by Akufo-Addo Administration was a Sham – NPP Group

A new NPP group called “Wake Up And Save NPP From Slipping Into Opposition” has described the claim by the NPP government to end galamsey as a sham. The group constitutes mostly NPP diaspora members who are determined to put the government officials on their toes and ensure that the right things are always done to save Ghanaians from the unprecedented hardships.

The group came out hard on the government after the senior minister, Mr. Yaw Osafo Marfo stated that the NPP government decided not to prosecute the galamsey queen, Aisha Huang because prosecuting the Chinese national wouldn't end galamsey. The group cannot fathom why the government took that decision to set the Chinese illegal miner free, after arresting her in the act of operating illegal mining in Ghana.

Cabinet Ministers, including Mr. Yaw Osafo Marfo, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta and Professor Gyan Baffour paid an official visit to the United States capital city of Washington DC, where many Ghanaian residents in the US flocked into the city to meet and interact with them at the Ghana Embassy in Washington DC on Sunday April 14, 2019, to discuss major pertinent issues that affect Ghana as a nation.

Currently, most Ghanaians are worried about the rate at which our water-bodies, verdant vegetation and forests are being uncontrollably disturbed, with a tendency to destruction and to adversely affect our climate, including the flora and fauna, as well as the benthos and aquatic creatures. Upon this unique opportunity, a concerned Ghanaian mining engineer and a galamsey crusader in USA, Solomon Owusu who lives in Colorado, confronted Mr. Yaw Osafo Marfo on the alarming rate at which the foreigners degrade Ghana’s lands and pollute the water bodies.

Also, he asked a tricky question on the reason behind the government’s failure to prosecute and sentence the galamsey queen, Aisha Huang, who was arrested in the act of operating illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey in the country. The meeting hall of the Ghana embassy in Washington DC was energized after that question was thrown to the senior minister.

Responding to the question, Mr. Marfo said Ghana is currently benefitting a lot from China and therefore the nation should look beyond punishing the Chinese nationals who degrade our environment. According to the senior minister, prosecuting Aisha Huang would not solve the galamsey problem but the nation should consider at least, the benefits from Sinohydro deal by the Chinese government.

According to the group, the senior minister was lost with any rationale expression, such that neither the application of logic nor casuistry could save him from goofing and looking po-faced behind the podium, as he thoughtlessly retorted to the surprising answer to the nolle prosequi question. Lots of the attendees were shocked by the response from the experienced senior minister who has been witnessing the prosecution and sentencing of Ghanaian galamsey operators who commit similar offence.

Mr. Marfo hails from Awisa, near Akyem Oda, where the major water source is the muddied river Birim. He is a member of cabinet in this Akufo-Addo composition of mainly Akyem administration, and former member of parliament for Akyem Oda in the Ex-President Kufuor’s administration. He held several prominent positions in the previous NPP government and one of the presidential candidates during the 2007 NPP congressional primaries held at Legon.

We throw it to Ghanaians to debate on, and decide the logic, rationale, legal and political sensibility in this statement by not a nonage, but by a mature and politically experienced man like Mr. Osafo Marfo. Presuming it's true that prosecuting Aisha Huang would not end galamsey, as he might have truly stated, whose prosecution will ever end galamsey? The Ghanaian Illegal miners in jail? Furthermore, whose prosecution for murder, aggravated robbery, rape, mugging, corruption, thievery, etc, will ever end these crimes named above and more?

The attention of Ghanaians needs to be drawn to the fact that, whereas the NPP drew a well refined, enforceable, and workable manifesto for Akufo-Addo to follow as the President, he has taken his own administrative and governance path, independent of what had been prepared for him by the NPP party. Indeed, he lied about himself, and wheedled NPP delegates to endorse him by a massive majority of 94.35%.

Then candidate Nana Akufo-Addo had in mind of an Akyem take-over of Ghana politics, and unfortunately, to do so with vindictiveness against his own non-Akyem NPP members. Most of his appointees, including Yaw Osafo Marfo are liars and very orgulous. Akufo-Addo and his crew of administrators had no roadmap, neither for making "Ghana work again" as he claimed, nor for his factoid "change Ghana now" mantra that he dishonestly propagandized.

He pathologically lied throughout his campaign about himself being teetotaler and claimed never having been corrupt, wasn't corrupt, and would never be corrupt. Unfortunately, what do we see today under his administration, and even within his own seat of government? Corruption has grown buttresses and even adventitious roots during his administration.

Indeed, Charles Kofi Wayo was right on his accusations of substance abuse against Akufo-Addo. Justice Pegah was also right because Ghanaians should just imagine why Akufo-Addo couldn't graduate from the university of Oxford as a prestigious and much coveted Oxford don? It's because he couldn't withstand the high level of studying at Oxford.

Whereas the NPP aimed at ending galamsey by introducing new mining techniques, using modern technology for those in the industry, Akufo-Addo used the unhealthy situation of our water-bodies to dishonestly coax aggrieved Ghanaians. Today, the bare truth is out whereby his own senior minister has spilled the beans. Akufo-Addo could not control and end galamsey on the river Birim right in his own backyard, so how could he have ever ended it elsewhere?

The fact is that President Nana Addo is not the sort of capable and principled leader who was erroneously adulated with affection as being full of wisdom. He always sets his priorities wrong, as he is known to be the type who put the cart before the horse as manifested in his "free education" policy. Therefore, the earlier we set him aside before the 2020 elections, the better to save NPP from slipping into opposition.

Opportunistic lies and propaganda do not and will never win elections in today's Ghana.

Group: Wake Up And Save NPP From Slipping Into Opposition