Head of Psychology at the University of Ghana, Professor Joseph Osafo has charged the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources to accompany his words with actions in solving the galamsey situation in Ghana.
Speaking at the 40th anniversary celebration of the Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources (FRNR) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor said efforts to fight illegal mining (galamsey) will be futile without the support of every individual and so called for a collective action between the government and the communities where these illegal miners are.
“I can say without a shred of equivocation no one can bring a chain saw to harvest rosewood in the forest or an excavator to mine in the bush, to work on river bodies in the community without the knowledge or passive approval somehow of the chief, elders, the assemblymen, opinion leaders and local authorities in the community.
“We will not make headway if natural resources, forest and range managers, security personnel, and other professionals connive with the very people against whom they are to enforce government policies and laws. We are faced with a conundrum,” he stated.
“We cannot come to grips with these issues if they continue to be politicized and exploited by political parties for their personal gains. It cannot be right in the face of all of these challenges for opposition party leaders to say, if you vote us into power, we will release all jailed illegal miners and allow you to mine.”
“ . . This fight must be above partisan politics. It must be a national fight and it requires our collective efforts to win this noble struggle of ours,” the Minister added.
But Professor Joseph Osafo has asked the Minister to be true to his words saying "being blunt to leaders is not the issue but being bold to prosecute leaders is the issue".
"Words can't change things. Actions must move with words . . . So, the question to the Minister is can he really prosecute a leader who is involved? If a Chief or elder engages in it, can we arrest him? If an Assemblyman is involved, can the law deal with the Assemblyman?", he queried the Minister.
