The government must ensure sufficient force is used to recover the forest reserves, a stalwart of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Arthur Kobinna Kennedy has said.
He noted that “So far we aren’t seeing the desired results yet.”
He said that the government of Ghana must act as though the country is in a state of emergency relative to the illegal small-scale mining.
Dr Arthur Kennedy stated that the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) does not have enough resources to ensure it fights the illegal small-scale mining completely.
“The government must ensure sufficient force is used to recover our forest reserves. So far, we aren’t seeing the desired results yet.
“NAIMOS is a good initiative [but] it doesn’t have sufficient resources. When we say we are using force, we should use sufficient force. We need to act as if we are in a state of emergency because it is,” he said on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, November 8.
A private legal practitioner, Kofi Bentil, also said that so far, the only thing that looks like a serious intervention in the fight against illegal mining (Galamsey) is the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat.
Despite this, Mr Bentil called for more actions to be taken. In his view, the fight against illegal small-scale mining is not something for the police or civilian restoration of order.
He described galamsey as an organised international crime, involving armed insurgents, which requires brute force from the military.
“I still hold the view that we will never win the fight against Galamsey because it has become an organised international crime being perpetrated by armed bandits,” he said on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, November 8.
Hr further stated that “so far the only thing that looks like a serious intervention is the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS). We should be doing NAIMOS+”
For her part, the Coordinator of Eco-Conscious Citizens, Awula Serwah, has said that the NAIMOS is under-resourced in the fight against illegal mining.
She said that NAIMOS does not even have a number to reach them to give them information.
NAIMOS was set up as part of the government’s renewed efforts to combat illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Lands Minister Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah said NAIMOS would serve as the central command hub to coordinate the operations of the military, police, and other security agencies involved in the nationwide clampdown on illegal small-scale mining.
But speaking on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, November 8, Awula Serwah said “NAIMOS is under-resourced, so even when communities are pleading with them to come and deal with the situation, they are unable to do so.”
She added, “You need to properly resource NAIMOS, and when they are attacked, something should be done about it. They don’t even have a number you can reach them on.”
Awula Serwah also questioned the political will in the fight against galamsey.
Without the political will and commitment, it will be difficult, she said.
“We need to have the political will, the commitment,” she said on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, November 8.
Awula Serwah said there is no need to make excuses for illegal miners on the back they it is a source of their livelihoods.
“We should stop making excuses for environmental terrorists, some say they don’t have a livelihood,” she said.
