The Akufo-Addo led government is doing what is contained in the 2016 manifesto of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in respect to fighting illegal mining activities nationwide, the party’s Ashanti Regional Communications Director, Mr. Akwasi Kyei has said.
According to him, the party then in opposition never promised to entertain illegal mining activities contrary to information from their opponents, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) they promised the people as such.
Mr. Akwasi Kyei explained that operative word used by their flagbearer at the time was “to regularize” and does not mean President Akufo-Addo will allow these miners to cause destruction to vegetation.
Government has come under attack by thousands of Ghanaians engaging in illegal mining threatening to vote against the ruling party in the next elections despite their (illegal miners) hazardous activities on the environment.
According the leadership of the Ghana National Association of Small Scale Miners (GNASSM), the move by the government to halt their activities has affected livelihoods.
They have even gone to the extent of petitioning the King of Asante, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II pleading for regularization so that licensed miners can operate without hindrance from security operatives.
According to the regional communicator, the miners should look at the larger picture and recognize the repercussions of their businesses on the health of the ordinary Ghanaian.
“Everybody is hungry but I will urge these complaint miners who businesses have been curtailed also look at the people’s heath first” he appealed on a local radio station
“Even they themselves admit they are bad nuts within them who are causing the destruction that is harmful to Health. I believe it could be a reason they have also formed taskforce to help government to reclaim the destroyed environment”
Mr. Kwasi Kyei therefore asked the people to bear with government’s decision to reclaim the environment hinting plans are underway to get them sustainable money fetching job.
