Reports: King Amoah.
The founder and leader of Mo Mary Fellowship in Kumasi Rev David Armstrong has disclosed that President John Dramani Mahama’s ongoing battle against illegal mining popularly known as galamsey can be successful when chiefs who are involved in the deal are arrested forprobe.
According to Rev. Armstrong the President’s efforts to eradicate galamsey will only achieve success if traditional chiefs who illegally lease their lands to illegal miners are arrested without fear or favour.
Reacting to the extensive environmental damages caused by galamsey activities across the country, Rev. Armstrong in equivocally pushed the blame on the feet of these chiefs.
He lamented that instead of diligently assessing whether prospective miners possess the relevant documents for legitimate mining operations, these traditional leaders turn a blind eye and accept monies.
After accepting monies without further investigations into the documents of the prospective miners they allow the illegal miners to wreak havoc on the environment including water bodies.
The man of God expressed concern that when the public and critics begin to question the government about galamsey issues, it is often these very chiefs who are the first to publicly attack the administration in what he believes is an attempt to cover themselves from blame.
While acknowledging the fact that galamsey has existed in Ghana since time immemorial, Rev. Armstrong contrasted current practices with those of the past.
He noted that chiefs in the early days prioritized the health of their citizens to ensure that mining activities were conducted without harming the environment or polluting water sources.
However he asserted that today, out of alleged financial greed many chiefs permit galamsey operators to mine even within their own communities without question.
In light of this worrying trend Rev. Armstrong proposed that a radical solution must be introduced.
He said the government needs to first target and arrest and question all chiefs whose communities have been invaded by galamsey operators.
These traditional leaders, he indicated should also be compelled to explain how these illegal miners gained access to their lands and what documents they shown to guarantee that they would embark on legitimate mining operations when concessions are given to them.
Should these chiefs fail to provide reasonable answers Rev. Armstrong insisted that the government should hold them responsible for the destruction caused to the nation’s forest reserves, water bodies, and the environment as a whole.
All the monies they took from the illegal miners must also be refunded by the chiefs into government because in basic and practical terms all lands in Ghana belongs to the government, the clergy suggested.
Rev. Armstrong firmly believes that if such decisive action is taken against the implicated chiefs at the national level it would serve as a deterrent to discourage other traditional leaders from engaging in the similar unlawful acts.
He however concluded that this approach would effectively halt the unchecked acquisition of lands by galamsey operators by paving the way for a more successful and sustainable fight against illegal mining.
