The President of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs, Osagyefo Oseadeyo Agyemang Badu II, has given the government a one-month ultimatum to stop illegal mining, known as Galamsey, in the country. Osagyefo Oseadeyo Agyemang Badu II, who also serves as the Dormaahene and as a High Court Judge, warned that if the government fails to act, the chiefs will be compelled to take back their lands.
He served the notice when the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) John Dramani Mahama paid a courtesy call on as part of his campaign tour of the region. “We’re giving this incumbent government one month to use legal means to stop people involved in this Galamsey. The government should deploy police and soldiers into the forests to stop them.
“If the government fails to do this, the land is ours, we will just reclaim it and we won’t allow any sort of mining to take place,” he said.
Meanwhile, the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has also called for an immediate ban on gold prospecting in rivers, forests, and other sensitive areas. In a statement dated September 9, 2024, signed by nine UTAG presidents, the association demanded a total ban on Galamsey.
Also, the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) has delivered a damning verdict on the illegal mining crisis, declaring that things are only getting worse. The GBA believes that the government is failing to make any real progress and has condemned the politicisation of the issue, describing it as irresponsible, shocking, and regrettable.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
