National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Tamale Central Constituency Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed says President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is an “accomplice” in the activities of illegal miners in the country’s major forest reserves and river bodies.
He alleges that the President has failed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces to take action against illegal miners.
The MP was speaking on TV3‘s New Day on Monday, October 3.
“The President is an accomplice,” he stressed, adducing the reason that “he is the Commander-In-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces. He must take action”.
He said the metropolitan, municipal, and district chief executives (MMDCEs) in whose areas river bodies have been muddied and forest reserves degraded have been reappointed by President Akufo-Addo.
The Minority MP, however, extolled Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II for his recent condemnation of the activities and exoneration of chiefs from the canker.
Chiefs had been accused of giving out lands for small-scale illegal mining and looking on in cases where they claim no knowledge of the miners’ license.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II said: “The concession is given by the authorities in Accra, the chiefs don’t give concessions so there is little they can do about it. The chiefs will be there and people will bring documents saying they’ve been given the permission to mine. Who consulted the chief for him to even supervise the activity?
“The constitution says the minerals is being held in trust for the people by the President. So chiefs cannot do much about it.”
“The Asantehene got it absolutely right,” Mr Murtala Mohammed said.
By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh|3news.com|Ghana
