Private legal practitioner, Martin Luther Kpebu, has said President Akufo-Addo’s comments of putting his job on the line to end illegal mining otherwise known as ‘galamsey’, was insincere.
He says the President’s comments about fighting galamsey was not something that came out of his own conviction but as reaction to what had already been started by others.
According to him, it was the fight which was started by the media that the President, who had no choice at the time, to add his voice without.
He has been saying on the KeyPoints on TV3 that Mr. Akufo-Addo has been sleeping on the job so far, only for him to come and make the headlines.
The renowned lawyer has added that the ban which the President placed on the menace was a farce.
“From day one, he never meant it sincerely. I’m sure by now we all know that President Akufo-Addo has never meant well for this country. It was just sloganeering because even the fight itself, he was put up to the fight by the media.
“It’s the media that started the fight so he joined later. So, for a President who is sleeping on the job and the media starts a fight,… it was individual journalists who started then later the media coalition came on before President Akufo-Addo joined so he was a reactionary figure in the whole thing and he just came for the headlines; just to say I’m prepared to [put my presidency on the line].
“He never meant the ban,” he said Saturday, September 07, 2024.
Meanwhile, some joint health sector unions have urgently called on the government to immediately ban all small-scale mining activities.
In a joint statement, the leadership of these unions emphasized the critical need for the government to bolster regulatory and enforcement agencies to effectively combat the galamsey menace.
The public sector health associations and unions, including the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association, Health Services Workers Union, Ghana Medical Association, Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association, Medical Laboratory Professional Workers Union, Mortuary Workers Association of Ghana, Ghana Association of Certified Anesthetists, Health Accounting Staff Association, and the Ghana Physician Assistant Association, have expressed grave concerns over the detrimental impact of galamsey on water bodies.
“The Ghana Water Company recently reported a reduction in water production by over 60% in the Western Region, 30% in the Central Region, with a total loss of 50% of treated water due to pollution and silting from galamsey activities,” the statement highlighted.
The union leaders are demanding swift government action to protect the nation’s water resources.
“As associations and trade unions in the health sector, holding collective bargaining agreements on behalf of health sector employees, we demand that the government immediately bans all small-scale mining operations,” the statement read.
They further urged the government to strengthen regulatory enforcement by providing resources to relevant security agencies to clamp down on violators and ensure swift prosecution.
“All political parties should make public declarations and publish duly signed documents on their commitment to fight illegal and unethical mining activities in Ghana,” the unions added.
Galamsey fight: The evidence of leadership failure is humongous – Ohene Ntow
