The Deputy National Director of A Rocha, Daryl Bosu, has described as unfortunate the Presidency’s response in the aftermath of the galamsey report authored by the former Minister of Science, Environment, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng.
The former Chairman of the defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining in a 37-page document accused government officials of engaging in galamsey or interfering in his work.
But the presidency responding to the claims in a statement said they are a catalogue of grievances of Professor Frimpong-Boateng and could best be described as hearsay.
The Presidency also tagged the document as not being an official report before Cabinet as it was submitted in an informal way.
Daryl Bosu said he and his team were shocked after going through the former Minister’s damning report thus joining the many voices calling on the presidency to look into the matter and not allow it to die as witnessed in most cases.
Speaking on Eyewitness News with Umaru Sanda Amadu, Mr. Bosu said, “We have reviewed the report, and we are shocked by the level of complicity on the part of government and persons connected politically. But not really surprised to the extent that a lot of these issues that the report talked about are issues we have seen on the grounds in many ways that we have complained about”.
“This report is more or less evidence that needs to be looked into. I believe that the report has only served right on all the issues, challenges and the fight against galamsey. It’s up to the president to have taken action when this report was delivered to his office in 2021. It’s very unfortunate for the President to say this about the report. The question we should be asking the president is when this report came to him what did he do? He has so far not responded to that question. I do not agree that we should leave this report to die as happened in most cases particularly when it comes to mining,” Deputy National Director of A Rocha stated.
Mr. Bosu lamented over cases where President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo cleared persons alleged to have engaged in mining-related activities.
“When issues of persons in government are found culpable of engaging in illegality, you see President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo coming out to clear these people. A particular case is the Akonta Mining. The president is seen talking about his commitment to the fight against galamsey but there’s no action,” he bemoaned.
He sided with the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor who has petitioned Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to probe the matter.
“We need an independent probe, I agree with the MP for petitioning CHRAJ, it’s good that the petition is gone, we would have done same,” Daryl Bosu said.
Persons accused in the report have discredited the report.
Source: citinewsroom.com
