The continuous destruction of the country’s land and water resources through illegal mining activities, popularly called galamsey, is a blot on the national conscience and all duty-bearers must bow their heads in shame an international evangelist, Rev. Dr Lawrence Tetteh, has stated.
Rev. Dr Tetteh, the President of the Worldwide Miracle Outreach (WMO), said the situation where the ruling political class, chiefs and security agencies turned a blind eye to the menace was unacceptable and condemnable.
“It is such a shame that we continue to pay lip service to something that is destroying our current and future generations. If you are a Ghanaian and you are not concerned about this monster called galamsey, then you must bury your head in shame,” he stressed.
The evangelist added that the time had come for all Ghanaians, irrespective of their social status, to rise up and help to expose all persons who were perpetrating galamsey.
He made the call at a press conference in Accra yesterday as part of the national prayer rally by WMO and the Lawrence Tetteh Ministries (LTM).
The 31-day national prayer rally, which started on May 1, is on the theme “This Nonsense Must Stop” and brings together religious leaders to pray for the wellbeing of the country, especially as the December 7 elections beckon.
Galamsey nonsense
Rev. Dr Tetteh, who is also an economist, described galamsey as one of the major ‘nonsenses’ that must stop if Ghanaians wanted to live long and sustainably manage the country’s resources.
“I call out the presidency on this issue of galamsey. Where are our chiefs and security personnel? If we do not stand up and stop this nonsense, we will all die,” he stressed.
The clergyman stressed that as custodians of the land, chiefs in particular must take a principled stance not to allow illegal mining to be carried out in their areas of jurisdiction.
Rev. Dr Tetteh added that if chiefs exercised the power they had over their subjects in the fight against galamsey, persons behind the menace could be brought to book with ease.
“Children are being born with defects; it is estimated that Ghana risks importing water because our water-bodies are contaminated, causing infections and diseases to our communities. This is why we must expose the people behind this wickedness,” he said.
Corruption, nepotism
Rev. Dr Tetteh also underscored the need for conscious efforts to be made to purge the country of corruption, favouritism and nepotism, stressing that such tendencies were anti-developmental and nation-wrecking.
He observed that galamsey and other developmental challenges the country was grappling with were deeply rooted in corruption and nepotism.
“Unfortunately, many of the anti-corruption strategies and efforts tend to target the symptoms of corruption instead of the main causes and perpetrators of the act,” he said.
The evangelist called on the mandated state anti-graft institutions to live up to the constitutional mandate to help nip corruption in the bud.
Source: graphic.com.gh
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