Calls on me to state my position on galamsey an indication Akufo-Addo doesn’t stay in Ghana – Mahama

Former President and flagbearer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mramani Mahama has questioned Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo if he lives in the country.

According to him, he has outlined his position on the fight against Galamsey and if Akufo-Addo lived in the country, he would have heard him speak on the menace that is destroying water bodies and forest reserves in the country.

John Dramani Mahama made this known on his tour of the Greater Accra Region today October 17, 2024.

He said “President Akufo-Addo said I should come clearly on galamsey, it looks like he doesn’t live in this country because I have commented on galamsey over and over again. The University of Energy and Natural Resources  gave political leaders the  top platform to outline their policy on small-scale mining,  and for a whole hour  I outlined our policy, after that, there were questions and answers  for two hours, we were there for three hours.

“President Akufo-Addo should tell the Jubilee House press to give him my tape on galamsey which I have delivered at the University of Mines and Natural Resources. Recently when I met the clergymen, a part of my speech was again on galamsey and small-scale mining. It is his responsibility, the people of Ghana elected him, he is currently the president of Ghana, and it is his responsibility to deal with Galamsey now. I know that after 7 January 2025  when Ghanaians have voted for me, I will take that responsibility and we will sport out illegal mining,” he said.

It will be recalled that the President during his thank you tour of the Northern Region questioned John Dramani Mahama’s stance on the raging conversation around illegal mining.

He is quoted to have said “Today, he [Mahama] said that, no, he doesn’t believe in jail, that he’s against galamsey, and he will enforce the law. So once again, we have to ask ourselves, Mr. JM, where do you stand? What are you telling the people of Ghana?

“Because every time you speak, you speak from one corner of your mouth and you speak from another corner of your mouth.” He added “In the last election [2020] in the mining districts of the country, the NPP did very badly largely because the NDC presidential candidate and the party had gone around the mining areas and said that the policy that I was implementing of trying to stop galamsey would be reversed when he comes to power and that those who were already in jail for offences, the galamsey offences, all of them would be amnestied.

“When I said I was putting my presidency on the line, that’s what I meant, that I was prepared to take the political risk involved in trying to deal with this galamsey phenomenon. The result, of course, was that the mining districts, especially in the Western region, all of them, including almost nearly even Tarkwa, were lost to the NPP.

“That is what I meant when I said I’m putting my presidency on the line, that I was prepared to take the political risk involved in coming to grips with this problem.”

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