Convener for the Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining, Dr. Ken Ashigbey, has attributed the ongoing surge in illegal mining and its detrimental effects on water bodies in some part of the country, to a failure of leadership, particularly within the executive.
Speaking in an interview with Metro TV, Dr Ashigbey urged President Nana Akufo-Addo to follow the example set by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and hold his appointees accountable for what he described as dereliction of duty.
Dr Ashigbey also emphasized the need for accountability among District and Municipal Chief Executives whose jurisdictions are heavily affected by pollution from illegal mining, while questioning the continued tenure of regional ministers responsible for coordinating efforts to ensure the activities of the illegal miners are curbed, despite the evident environmental degradation
“The challenge is leadership failure, especially the executive. So, my suggestion to the president Nana Addo is that he should take a lead from what Otumfour Nana Osei Tutu II is doing. So, the president should start holding his appointees accountable, especially the DCEs and MCEs whose jurisdictions have these bad waters”
“Why are they at post, then the regional ministers who are supposed to be coordinating, how come the central regional minister and the western regional minister and Ashanti regional minister are still at post while all these is happening,” he queried.
He called for consequences for officials either complicit in galamsey activities or failing to fulfill their responsibilities, asserting that such accountability is crucial for restoring public trust and effectively addressing the illegal mining crisis in Ghana.
“So we should start getting consequences for either being complicit in the galamsey or you are incompetent and you are not deserving to be a representative of the people”
He criticized the manifestos of both major political parties for failing to address the galamsey crisis and called on President Nana Akufo-Addo to declare a state of emergency regarding the protection of water bodies and their surrounding buffers.
The convener for the Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining urged presidential candidates, particularly the NPP and NDC flagbearers, to commit to the fight against illegal mining.
“We need the presidential candidates, especially the NPP flagbearer (Dr Bawumia) and the NDC flagbearer (John Mahama) to also sign up to the fight against the illegal mining so that we get our water bodies clean and remove the machines from the water bodies”
By: Bright Yao Dzakah | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana
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