By king Amoah, Our Editor In Chief
Promotions.
President John Dramani Mahama’s journey back to the Jubilee House was not just an opportunity but rather a promise that he gave to Ghanaians to abolish galamsey when power was transferred to him.
This commitment born from the widespread public disapproval of the previous administration’s perceived inability to control the tide of environmental destructions of our bodies and forest reserves
Ghanaians
through the ballot box, chose change as they expect decisive action against an illicit trade that contravenes the very laws of our land.
However having ascended to power the President’s efforts to fulfil this electoral promise appears increasingly fraught as in many communities complaints of environmental destruction seems to be common
Reports suggest that some individuals allegedly some “bigwigs” within the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) are not only taking the lead in these destructive practices of the illegal mining but are also using their association with the party as a shield to commit environmental crimes and escape justice.
Despite a persistent chorus of public disapproval of the galamsey activities the business continue unabated and casts shadow over the government’s commitment to environmental preservation and the rule of law.
Nowhere is this blatant disregard for the law and the President’s vision is starkly exemplified than in the Atiwa East District of the Eastern Region.
Here, the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr. Ernest Owusu Ntim, stands accused of actively involving himself in galamsey.
Disturbing allegations indicate that the DCE has employed agents, believed to be his own family members in the area to work on his behalf.
His two biological brothers Junior Ntim and Victor Ntim from our probe are reportedly managing an illegal mining site at Ankaase Gyadam.
Our recent visit to this site confirms a tragic narrative where a vast tracts of land including cocoa farms and other crops have been utterly destroyed with no compensation paid to the affected landowners and farmers.
This is not merely an act of environmental vandalism, it is also an economic assault on the livelihoods of hardworking Ghanaians.
Further accusations is a more recent incident where the DCE is alleged to have stormed the premises of the Atiwa East District Police Command to retrieve over sixteen excavators that a Task Force team from Accra had impounded and entrusted to the care of the District Police.
Eyewitness accounts suggest that the DCE views galamsey as a lucrative “money making business.
Owners of the seized excavators were reportedly charged with exorbitant sums sums of monies before their machines are released to them apart from his own two purported excavators.
The galamsey operators who were arrested by the Task Force have since been set free with the commander in charge, Alexander Teiko, inexplicably failed to act.
This brazen obstruction of justice, coupled with allegations of profiteering, smacks of impunity.
Adding insult to injury, sources quote the DCE as having indicated that “his government is in power and no one can challenge his administration so far as he remains the district political head.
Such a declaratio if it is true betrays a troubling sense of entitlement and defiance undermining the very principles of accountability and transparency that underpin good governance
Supporters of the NDC within the district who have spoken out, expressed their dismayas they stated that Ernest Owusu Ntim’s conduct brings disgrace to the President and fundamentally undermines the integrity of both the district party and the concept of accountability.
They urgently appeal to the President to bring the galamsey DCE to book to restore the good name of the party and reassure the public of his unwavering commitment to his electoral promises.
President Mahama’s mandate to combat galamsey was clear and unambiguous.
The actions of individuals like Mr. Ernest Owusu Ntim are not only making mockery of this promise but also eroding public trust in governance and the rule of law.
The fight against galamsey cannot be won if those entrusted with authority continue to set bad examples to defeat pres Mahama’s agenda to discourage galamsey activities in the country.
Our investigations lense still at work in the District.
Stay tuned for galamsey stories connecting to the District Police Command,, residents and the Task Force team from Accra Book your copies in advance from newspapers,radio stations and across the social media channels
