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Report by Nana POKU
The Leader and Founder of the United Popular Front Party, Akwasi Addai Odike has called for a halt to surface mining in the country as a national respite to restore the badly destroyed water bodies and environment.
Odike made this statement when he spoke to this reporter in Accra this week about his outbursts on the wide environmental destruction bedeviling our country.
The maverick social commentator and politician opined that the time has come for serious introspection on our small-scale mining practices that have given birth to the irresponsible mining regime of GALAMSEY.
According to him, there’s a thin line between GALAMSEY and small-scale mining.
“Those so-called licensed small-scale miners almost end up doing the opposite; that is illegal mining. So I am calling on the sector ministry, the government, and all mining regulatory agencies to SUSPEND or STOP surface mining for now,” he said.
He advocated for a thorough examination of our current mining laws, reviewing them, and rewriting them to reflect a sustainable and responsible mining practice.
“As I am speaking to you now, over 800 river bodies have been destroyed and very soon we may have to import water from another country. And it is strange that our chiefs are playing the ostrich and pretending as if they don’t know anything about the problem. How can a chief in mining an area feign ignorance of the evil practices?” he queried.
He blamed the ministry, the regulatory bodies, and the chiefs for the danger hanging on our necks and indicated he will talk, complain and scream until the authorities do the needful even if it means changing the laws of the mining sector.
He asked all the concerned people of the country to support his crusade to rid our dear country of this unhealthy mining practice that is having a devastating effect on our rivers and vegetation.
“I think we must rewrite our constitution because the current one is serving the interest of just a few people. A Constitutional Review Commission was set up but successful regimes for their selfish interests have blatantly refused to implement the recommendations. I believe a new one would fare better even if it means organizing a referendum to that effect. I Kwasi Addai Odike will preach this gospel even at the peril of my life because someone must lead this national crusade to rescue our dear country because our leaders and leaders have badly failed us,” he said.
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