Missing excavators: ‘Akufo-Addo has woefully failed to fight galamsey’ – Omane Boamah

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has woefully failed to combat illegal mining, contrary to what he promised Ghanaians, a former Minister of Communications has opined.

Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, who was speaking on Inside Politics on Power 97.9 FM indicated that Nana Akufo-Addo has failed Ghanaians after promising them in 2016 that he would clamp down on illegal mining and regularise small scale mining and make way for more employment in that sector.

Throwing occasional jabs at President Akufo-Addo, Dr Omane Boamah indicated that all signs show that the president has failed to clamp down on illegal mining. He added that although the country lost a millitary man – then captain Adam Mahama – to the fight, the government has not seen the need to honour him with a drastic clampdown on galamsey to save Ghana’s water bodies.

He stressed that the country’s water bodies look dirtier than before after the government set up a joint millitary taskforce 3 years ago to monitor the activities of illegal mining in river bodies.

Dr Omane Boamah’s anger follows the controversy surrounding the missing of about 500 excavators from illegal miners which is linked to some executives of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Last week, the NPP’s Central Regional Vice Chairman, Horace Ekow Ewusi, was detained by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) over his role in the missing excavators and other equipment seized from illegal mining operators.

The arrest follows a request made by the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Professor Frimpong Boateng.

Currently, six persons have been arrested and being investigated by the CID following a complaint lodged by the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, who is also the chairman of the anti-galamsey taskforce which the President inaugurated last year.

Last year, a Secretary to the taskforce, Charles Bissue became the talk of the town after he was captured in a video allegedly taking monies to help an unlicensed company to circumvent laid down processes to be given clearance for its mining operations. The documentary which was produced by ace investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, captured some other NPP known faces but were later exonerated by the CID after the presidency rubbished the video and called it fake.

In another leaked video circulating on social media, Professor Frimpong Boateng and some NPP executives are seen discussing how some key people, including NPP General Secretary John Buadu can be protected to mine illegally in some parts of the country and support the party with the proceeds.

But Dr Omane Boamah, who is incensed by the turn of events, jabbed President Akufo-Addo for superintending over galamsey despite “wasting millions of taxpayers’ monies on the facade fight against galamsey.”

“When campaigning in 2016, the president is on tape to have said he would not collapse galamsey. That is true because he has normalised galamsey and his appointees and NPP executives are benefitting from it…When President Akufo-Addo said he was coming to empower Ghanaian small scale miners, he was rather talking about empowering NPP galamsey…When it comes to galamsey fight, He [Nana Akufo-Addo] has failed miserably.” Dr Omane Boamah told host Mugabe Maase.

To him, the manner in which NPP executives are neck-deep in illegal mining while persons with mining licenses are being prevented from mining only means the government is not willing to save the environment.

“Taxpayers money wasted on the facade fight against galamsey would’ve been used in recruiting and paying teachers, nurses and ending the double-track system among others,” Dr Omane Boamah added.

He went on to say Ghanaians who care about the environment should vote out the “deceitful” Akufo-Addo government and bring back the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its flagbearer former president John Mahama back to government to continue with its anti-illegal mining policies that ensured the deportation of 5000 Chinese nationals who were engaging in galamsey when the NDC was in power.