The Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Hon. Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, has strongly reacted to recent comments made by Dr. Ken Ashigbey regarding the government’s fight against illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.
Speaking on the matter, the minister expressed disappointment in what he described as premature and unfair criticisms against an administration that is barely two months old.
He argued that the current government is still in the process of fully constituting its ministries and cannot be judged as having failed in addressing galamsey within such a short period.
“We are talking about a government that is just two months old. A government that has just finished constituting its ministers. And yet, we hear conclusive statements as if to suggest that this government has failed in fighting galamsey,” he stated.
Hon. Murtala Mohammed questioned why Dr. Ashigbey had not demonstrated the same level of urgency and criticism during the previous administration, which was in power for eight years.
He pointed to a recent investigative documentary by journalist Erastus Asare Donkor, which exposed illegal mining activities, and challenged the notion that these operations had emerged under the current government.
“Erastus’ documentary—are we saying that those illegal mining infrastructures and equipment were set up within just one month? Because, mind you, the documentary was aired just a little over a month into the NDC administration. If there are established structures aiding illegal mining, they were built under the previous administration. Yet, people are making statements as if all of this happened under the NDC. That is unacceptable,” he emphasized.
The minister further suggested that there might be ulterior motives behind such narratives, though he acknowledged Dr. Ashigbey’s long-standing activism against illegal mining.
He, however, questioned the rationale behind his recent conclusions.
“As the Minister for Environment, none of you have called to ask how far we have gone with the Legislative Instrument (L.I.) concerning galamsey. Dr. Ken is a good friend of mine, but he didn’t see the need to reach out and find out what has happened to the L.I. The fact is, we have already begun the process to repeal it,” he revealed.
The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Hon. Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed reaffirmed the government’s commitment to tackling illegal mining and urged stakeholders to engage constructively rather than making premature judgments.
Story by Freedom Lavoe.
