Editor of the Ghanaian Publisher Newspaper, Yaw Obeng Manu says there is nothing wrong with President Akufo-Addo’s directive to burn excavators seized at illegal mining sites.
He believes it is a critical step that has to be taken in order to protect the country’s forests, water bodies and other natural resources. “If we don’t do that now, we will pay for it dearly in the near future,” he shared.
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“It is better to burn excavators to rid the country of the effects of the galamsey menace than set up a Ministry for the Importation of Water,” he told Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show aired on e.TV Ghana and Happy98.9FM.
According to him, the President was disgraced in his first attempt to fight the galamsey menace and because he (President) does not want to be taken for a granted anymore, “he has decided to take the bull by its horn to protect and save the nation from just a few individuals damaging it for us.”
Taking the nation back in time, Obeng Manu shared that when the President started his campaign against galamsey in 2018, “he didn’t burn any mining equipment and 500 excavators that were seized could never be accounted for.”
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Yaw Obeng Manu indicated that a few people cannot and must not be allowed to damage our natural resources, especially water bodies. “If we allow them to pollute our water bodies, we will end up setting up a Ministry for Water Importation and we don’t need that. The fight against galamsey is a movement and whoever crosses it will be crushed. Anyone in the illegality must be crushed,” he repeated.