Samuel Abu Jinapor, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, has been asked to step down by Bishop Dr. Samuel Noi Mensah, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Full Gospel Church International.
He claims that the Minister lacks the political will to stop the illegal mining operations known as galamsey in the community.
His remarks come in response to Mr. Jinapor’s assertion that some New Patriotic Party (NPP) politicians are against the fight against galamsey because it is hurting their chances of winning political office.
Bishop Mensah demanded the Minister resign during an appearance on JoyNews’ Upfront on Thursday, September 5.
He highlighted the need of not ignoring the Lands Minister’s inaction on these problems, which have resulted in water contamination and environmental damage.
“First of all, he should resign. He has refused to provide leadership and ensure that this destructive behaviour which is a life-threatening situation against all of us should be curtailed, so he has to resign,” he said.
Bishop Mensah also criticised the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration for not addressing the galamsey threat, which they had pledged to address when they took office seven years ago.
He questioned why the NPP, which is currently in power, would ask Ghanaians to vote them back into office when they haven’t fixed the issue they promised to.
“What business do you have asking the people to put you back into office? You haven’t demonstrated that will that you are committed to stopping this situation and so the Minister should have resigned a couple of years ago,” he added.
Rev. Prof. Paul Frimpong Manso, a former president of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, has urged religious leaders to organize their followers in opposition to the threat posed by illegal mining.
In an interview with Upfront, he stressed that the government would only be forced to act decisively by large-scale demonstrations of this kind.
“As for the Church leaders, please, we are the conscience of the nation. We must either keep quiet or sink together with the populace… So, to my fellow church leaders, we must preach the truth. People may hate us, fight us, or not understand us, but that is what Desmond Tutu and others did to liberate South Africa from apartheid,” he said.
He went on to say that the risks associated with illegal mining had increased and urged religious leaders to take action beyond simply sharing the gospel and acting like everything is alright.
“Our nation is being destroyed. We are heading towards national doom, and it’s better late than never. I hope that by this coming Sunday, church leaders will wear red bands, go out, and demonstrate—even if it is to the Jubilee House or elsewhere,” Rev. Prof. Frimpong-Manso urged.
Source: Adomonline