Send Your Soldiers & Police To Catch “Galamseyers”; Open Letter From 11-yr-Old To Prez

An open letter from an eleven-year-old pupil to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has pleaded for the deployment of security forces to clamp down on illegal miners destroying the natural resources of the country.

The class 5 pupil is worried about the sudden change in the colour of water bodies in the country which are in similitude to “This Way Chocolate Drink or groundnut soup”.

At his introduction, Kelvin Nhyira Ansong asked about the President’s well-being and added “but me I am not fine”.

“Last week our sir told us to watch some news on Joy TV. It was about some people who are doing galamsey and spoiling all our natural water bodies.

“All the rivers have turned like this way chocolate drink or groundnut soup but our sir told us that water is colourless”.

He suggested that the President deploy some security personnel to such water bodies to get the perpetrators arrested.

“So please I want you to please send your soldiers and police to catch those who are spoiling the water so that the water will be colourless again and we can get some to drink”, the hand-written letter concludes.

The conversation about illegal mining in the country has returned once again.

The menace is threatening not just the country’s forest reserves and water bodies but also the country’s cash crops- cocoa and coffee.

Reports indicate that some farmers have already begun selling off their cocoa farms to “galamseyers” in rural areas.

Samples of water from some of the river bodies in Ghana fetched by JoyNews showed massive pollution of the country’s waters.

River Tano, Nwui, Offin, Bonsa, Bia, Ankobra, Amoya, Afu Afu and Totoa streams have changed colours according to the samples fetched by JoyNews.

Illegal mining on the country’s water bodies seems to be on the ascendency despite the government’s various initiatives like Operation Halt which is clamping down on galamsey across the country.

Pressure group Occupy Ghana has called on the President to declare a state of emergency at all mining sites in Ghana, a call that has garnered much support from some industry players.

Last week, President Akufo-Addo met with the National House of Chiefs and Municipal Metropolitan, District Chief Executive over the fight against illegal mining in the country which is wreaking havoc to the country’s natural resources.

In his keynote address at the opening of his meeting with the members of the National House of Chiefs, he admitted his government’s failure in the battle against illegal mining termed as “galamsey” in the country.

“It has not been easy, it has not been popular and we have not got the immediate results that I was looking for. Indeed in the last elections of 2020, my stance on the issue cost my party and I significant losses in the mining communities.”

The government’s failure at this, he said, is despite numerous initiatives it has introduced.

“We have tried many initiatives including that of the Community Mining Scheme, and the establishment of a new legal regime for dealing with the perpetrators of this phenomenon which has imposed severe sanctions on those Ghanaians and foreigners convicted of illegal mining.”

“Still we have not won the fight”, he submitted.

He believes that victory over illegal mining will require the help of traditional authorities and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executive (MMDCEs) of communities where mining takes place.

One of the ways he intends to fight the menace now is to make it a national battle.

“There are many requests I intend to make of you in the close door session of our meeting, but one of the most significant, which I have to state now is to seek your assistance to take partisan political interest out of the fight against galamsey. It can only succeed if it is truly a national battle which no one seeks to exploit for political gain as we saw in the last election”

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini