End galamsey before it claims more cabinet members- Tony Aidoo to Mahama
Ghana’s former Ambassador to the Netherlands, Dr. Tony Aidoo, has issued a passionate call to President John Mahama to take immediate and decisive action to end illegal mining, known locally as galamsey, warning that further inaction could cost more lives at the highest levels of government.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Newsfile on Saturday, August 9, Dr. Aidoo linked the recent tragic helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District which claimed eight lives, including two cabinet ministers directly to the ongoing fight against galamsey.
“To be frank, I had a personal connection with only three of the unfortunate victims of the helicopter crash, Dr. Omane Boamah, Dr. Sarpong and Dr. Murtala Mohammed.
“Anytime I remember the departed, it is usually with teary eyes, but I am not here to eulogise nor to pay another apologetic tribute. This will be a very tiny voice among the worldwide tributes following the avoidable national tragedy,” he said.
Dr. Aidoo strongly rejected the notion that the crash was a mere act of God, instead attributing the tragedy to preventable human errors.
“Even though faith says we must eulogise the dead, we must look behind and look for the cause — why did they die? People will say, ‘Oh, the Lord gave us and the Lord takes.’ I say that God did not take. It was we who gave by our mistake of an avoidable death.”
He stated that the best way to honour the victims is to finally confront the illegal mining crisis head-on.
“President Mahama must kill the galamsey menace before it ends his members [of cabinet].”
He also endorsed calls by economist Kwame Mpianim for a temporary nationwide ban on all galamsey operations, describing it as a necessary first step toward long-term solutions.
“God gives, yes, but God does not take innocent lives. People die by their own destruction or by lifestyle. What is President Mahama waiting for? Yesterday, I heard Kwame Mpianim say we must ban galamsey for three months.
Comments (0)