Tano North chief have appealed to President John Mahama to urgently intervene to halt widespread illegal mining, locally known as galamsey.
According to the Tano Chiefs, the River Tano has turned completely chocolate-brown.
The Chiefs argued that the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) and the Blue Water Guards have failed to halt the continued destruction of galamsey.
Speaking during a courtesy call by the Member of Parliament for Tano North, Dr Gideon Boako, on Tuesday, the Adontehene of the Tanoso Traditional Council, Nana Kwapem Peni, stated, “It brings us immense sadness to see what has become of our beloved Tano River. Today, the water has turned completely chocolate-brown and is ruined beyond recognition”.
“All the state institutions mandated to protect us and fight illegal mining, including NAIMOS and the Blue Water Guards, have completely failed to stop the destruction of our forests and rivers. We are left with no choice but to make an urgent appeal directly to President John Mahama to intervene immediately and save our water bodies before everything is lost.”
They further expressed their frustration after suspects who were arrested along the Tano River by residents supported by traditional authorities were released by the police.
Nana Oboni Nkrawiri IV stated, “The frustration we are facing in this community is unbelievable”.
“Our people, led by the traditional authorities, risked their lives to catch these illegal miners red-handed as they were polluting the Tano River. We arrested them and handed them over to the police, expecting justice.
“But to our total dismay, the municipal police authorities simply discharged them and set them all free. This national fight against galamsey is completely useless if the very people we arrest are routinely let off the hook.”
The Member of Parliament for Tano North, Dr Gideon Boako, responding to the concerns stated, “I want to commend our traditional leaders for their relentless efforts in fighting illegal mining to ensure the Tano River becomes clean again, and I urge you not to relent”.
“You have my full support in this fight. But I must also call on the residents of Tano North to direct their anger at these illegal miners and the powerful paymasters behind them.
“If the community does not stand up together against them, the severe health crisis caused by these polluted rivers will never stop.”
In related news, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams, the Founder and General Overseer of Action Chapel International, has warned that Ghana’s children and grandchildren are at risk due to the continued destruction caused by illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Duncan-Williams stressed that illegal miners are destroying the country’s water bodies and farmlands.
Speaking at a church service on Sunday, August 16, Archbishop Duncan-Williams stated, “ So I’m going to dedicate a lot of time today for us to intercede for our nation because I’m concerned about some things. And I am not speaking as a prophet. As much as some may be prophetic, I am speaking as a student of prophecy and a student of history. I take time to study history a lot. And some things are bothering me.
And one of them is how we are managing the future of our children and our grandchildren when it comes to our water bodies, when it comes to the land that produces crops and the food we eat.
We are poisoning the land. There are so many things we are doing. If you look at the way we are running our society as a country and nation, the future is in trouble”.
He argued the effects of illegal mining should not be viewed only as a present-day problem, noting that the destruction of water bodies and agricultural land could affect generations yet unborn.
Archbishop Duncan-Williams further criticised the politicisation of efforts to enforce laws against illegal mining.
According to him, political interests have contributed to the persistence of lawlessness.
He added, “And I’ll indulge you to allow me to speak to you for some few minutes and let’s spend quality time interceding. I don’t normally do this—interceding for country. This is very, very important because of this illegal mining thing. I just remember yesterday the sheikh and what they were telling me: that the amount of illegal gold that they bought and they had records of it, but Ghana didn’t have a record of it.
The one Ghana has a record of was what the government sold. But the one Ghana didn’t have a record of was more than what Ghana sold to them, and they have all the records, and we don’t. So for whatever reason, it looks like the rules and the laws are not working, because if anybody tries to make it work and enforce the law, we turn everything to politics.
And if you don’t do what I want, next time I will not vote for you. And so because people don’t want to lose their seat in parliament or they don’t want their party to lose, they give in and allow lawlessness to continue”.
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