Mahama’s promise to free jailed small scale miners embarrassing – Deputy Minister

A Deputy Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Benito Owusu-Bio, has described National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama’s promise to release all jailed illegal miners as reprehensible.

John Mahama, at a rally in the Mpohor Constituency in the Western Region on Thursday, October 22, 2020, promised to grant amnesty to all small scale miners imprisoned under the Nana Addo-led administration if he wins the December 7 presidential election.

Speaking to Citi News on the matter, Mr. Owusu-Bio said such promises should be disregarded.

“It is an embarrassment because of the person this particular promise is coming from. Currently, he is promising heaven and earth. I know that he will not even win the election. He is promising something that he cannot do. He should tell us how many people have been put behind bars.”

“Even when we increased the punitive measures, no one was jailed. So I am surprised about what he is talking about. Let him come out and tell us the number of people that were jailed. He is just promising and lying to appeal to the public for votes,” he added.

I’ll free small scale miners jailed under Akufo-Addo over galamsey – Mahama

Former President John Dramani Mahama says he will grant amnesty to all small scale miners imprisoned under the President Addo-Addo-led government at the peak of the galamsey fight, if he wins the December 7 presidential election.

He told the chiefs and people at Mpohor on Thursday that: “It’s sad. The government said it was fighting galamsey, and they arrested, prosecuted, and jailed Ghanaians who were engaged in that activity but left the Chinese woman [Aisha Huang].”