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Inusah Fuseini welcomes dissolution of Inter-ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining

Inusah Fuseini welcomes dissolution of Inter-ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining

The former Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini has welcomed President Nana Akufo-Addo’s decision to dissolve the Inter-ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).

In an interview on the Eyewitness News, Alhaji Fuseini said the committee had long outlived its usefulness and needed to be terminated.

“Members of the committee were accused of bribe-taking. They were also accused of sharing the mining sites among themselves, among many others. They ended not serving the purpose for which the committee was established. They themselves became the perpetrators of wrongdoing.”

“As he has entered the second term, Akufo-Addo thinks dissolving the committee is the best decision, no one can begrudge him on that.”

The former Minister for Lands and Natural Resources added that Akufo-Addo’s administration was unsuccessful at stopping illegal mining in its first term because laws were enforced partially.

“The small-scale miners knew the act was wrong. But as they are being brought to book for engaging in the act, they saw others go unpunished. Some were operating under the protection of the army. Clearly, the NPP had set itself for failure.”

“As I speak, people under the protection of the state continue to mine, whilst those who have no protection suffer the consequences of their actions,” he added.

The committee, which was headed by the former Minister of Environment, Science Technology, and Innovation, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, was established by the Akufo-Addo administration to check illegal mining activities.

In 2017, Nana Akufo-Addo declared that he was prepared to put his presidency on the line in the fight against activities of illegal mining, which was causing havoc to the country’s water resources and lands

His declaration was amidst new measures such as the deployment of police and military personnel to arrest illegal miners across the country and the introduction of a community mining programme aimed at regulating small-scale mining in communities in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Recently, there have been complaints that the water bodies that were regaining their natural state at the height of the fight against galamsey are becoming polluted again due to the increasing activities of illegal mining in various parts of the country.

 

Source: citifmonline.com

Original Story on: Citi Newsroom
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