Muosohene of the Akem Abuakwa Traditional Council in the Eastern Region, Osaberima Owusu Bɛyɛɛman, has stated that there is no need for the government to allocate GH¢150 million to the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) before cracking down on illegal miners, popularly known as galamseyers.
The government has allocated GH¢150 million from the 2026 budget to NAIMOS to strengthen its fight against those engaging in illegal mining activities in the country.
According to him, the lands belong to the traditional rulers, but the government owns the natural resources on them and controls the security agencies as well.
He argued that if someone is engaging in illegal activities to steal these resources, the military should simply be deployed to halt their operations rather than pumping money into combating them.
Osaberima Bɛyɛɛman further said that if the government had outlined proper and strict models for mining, the funds, which could have been channeled into infrastructure projects to benefit Ghanaians would not have been given to NAIMOS to fight illegal miners who are destroying water bodies, forests, and the landscape.
“The government should inform the traditional rulers about the mechanism put in place this time around, as to why such an amount of money is being allocated to NAIMOS, because we are ready to offer them our support in fighting the menace to protect the environment,” he noted.
Osaberima Owusu Bɛyɛɛman used the opportunity to advise chiefs who are involved in the act to stop, reminding them that they have sworn an oath not to engage in practices that would destroy the country’s future.
He also stated that he strongly disagrees with those who claim there is a scarcity of jobs in the country, insisting that agriculture alone can create millions of jobs for the youth.
He urged business moguls who purchased excavators for the youth to use in galamsey to instead invest in farming machinery, enabling them to venture into agriculture and transform their lives.
He emphasized that the fight against galamsey is a shared responsibility, which is why all must rally behind the government, if not to eliminate it, then at least to reduce it to safeguard water bodies, lands, and forests for future generations.
“What will you gain by destroying water bodies and lands to amass wealth for yourself?
“Your wealth will be in vain if you don’t get food to eat and have water to drink, so, therefore, we must take a critical look at the situation and form a united front to say no to galamsey and treat it as the enemy of the country, and fight it together,” he opined.
By// Kontihen Kofi Oboh.
Source// Obohnewsonline.com.
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