It is reported that there has been yet another case of toxic waste finding its way into the waters off Ghana's shores, and along part of our coastline. Apparently, it was dumped by the American-flagged "Spirit River" - which was carrying toxic waste from the Benniboye oil fields in the Benin State of Nigeria, and was said to be destined for Trinidad and Tobago with its dangerous cargo. A local waste management company is said to have aided and abetted this monstrous crime.
One gathers the ship has now been impounded by the Ghana Navy. Splendid news, that. However, from one's occasional dealings with some government ministers, and the senior public officials who advise them, one cannot help but be rather sceptical about the tough-sounding noises emanating from hamstrung officialdom.
Ghanaians ought to wake up to the latent threat posed to their well-being, and that of the Ghanaian nation-state, by the pollution associated with deep-sea oil production (and on-land oil production for that matter!). One hopes that civil society actors, such as the NGO Wassa Communities against Mining (WACAM), will strengthen their technical and scientific partnerships, to enable them effectively fight for the protection of the livelihoods of coastal communities that depend on fishing for their survival.
WACAM must work with international environmental organisations, such as Greenpeace and WWF, to monitor the offshore activities of oil companies in Ghana. Our territorial waters have an abundance of some of the most valuable species of fish in the world - yet, foreign fishing companies are being allowed (by those whose job it is to bring them to book, by arresting and prosecuting them!), to get away with illegal fishing: and are rapidly emptying our territorial waters of such fish. O, Ghana - eyeasem oo!
Judging by the way some of the very powerful individuals at the presidency, are so easily inveigled by vested interests (particularly those with a global footprint!), into allowing them avoid punishment prescribed by our laws, when they cause damage to the natural environment, it will not surprise me in the slightest (although I'll be long dead by then!), if by the time our oil and natural gas deposits are depleted, we end up in the same situation that the hapless people of the Niger Delta now find themselves.
I truly fear for the future of our country, despite the fact that the ministerial team at the environment, science and technology ministry, is one of the hardest working in the Mills administration, and are the best ministers of environment Ghana has had, in our entire post-independence history, thus far. Luckily, both of them, unlike so many of their spineless colleagues, past and present, are not enthralled to the powerful multinationals, who have got away with abomination after abomination, as they trash our natural heritage with complete impunity (sometimes even getting the protection of our security agencies, when their perfidy becomes too much for the communities whose land was taken and given out as concessions, to bear any longer. Incredible, but true!).
From reports in the Ghanaian media, it is said that amongst a host of tough measures being taken (or that have been taken, as the case may be)
to deal with this particular incident, are the following:
(1) "Evacuation of the oil Base mud and loading into the ship"
My question: Who exactly will pay for that - Ghana, or the shipping company and the local waste management company that helped it in this outrage?
(2) "Decontaminating the Essipong area affected by the discharge of the liquid slops"
My question: By whom - and at whose expense? Above all, by which company exactly? It is important to note that this is a specialised field, demanding scientific and technical expertise, if it is to be effectively done - to ensure the long-term health of the affected communities and a return of the area's marine ecology, as well as that of the natural environment of the land-mass of that part of the sovereign territory of the Republic of Ghana, to a pristine state.
"Paying a fine for any damage to the ecosystems"
My question: How much will they be fined? And precisely what steps have been taken to prevent yet another group of callous foreigners escaping punishment - and avoiding paying fines, as happened in the case of Kosmos Oil?
As we all know, that arrogant company succeeded in wriggling out of a fine, when some of the supine dim-wits amongst those who now rule us, decided to close their eyes to that crime against humanity committed by that egregious example of big-money, which pays obeisance only to the goddess of greed - and has scant regard for officialdom in Ghana and elsewhere in Africa. Pity. Hmm, Ghana - eyeasem oo: asem kesie ebaeba debi ankasa!
I am appealing to Ghana's dynamic minister of environment, science and technology, Mrs. Sherry Aryittey, and her very able deputy, Dr. Omane Boamah, to ensure that legislation is rushed through Parliament, under a certificate of urgency, which more or less is the same as that which the Americans have put in place to avoid another disaster like that of the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spillage: and to provide regulators with laws with very sharp teeth to punish those whose carelessness leads to such mishaps and environmental disasters, even when they are not of an apocalyptic nature.
They must aim to leave a legacy that will ensure that there are tough laws in place, which make it possible for the Ghanaian nation-state to: ban the directors of companies that collude with polluters and those who dump toxic material anywhere in the sovereign territory of Ghana, from our oil and gas industries, from being company directors for life; impound and auction off any vessel or motorised form of transport involved in such incidents and events; and prescribe mandatory jail terms and exemplary fines, for all those involved in oil spillages and any attendant pollution, whatever the scale of spillage might be.
If that were done, posterity will ensure that their names are written in gold by historians - and future generations of Ghanaians will regard them as true heroes of Nkrumah's Ghana, till the very end of time. If you are listening, Mrs Sherry Aryyitey and Dr. Omane Boamah, your place in the Pantheon of great Ghanaians, awaits you. Indeed, your hour has truly come!
One hopes that both of you are prepared to act in the national interest, at what is Mother Ghana's hour of greatest need - and that you will not allow the greedy, powerful and selfish few, who unfortunately wield such a baleful influence over your regime, to triumph once again - and scheme successfully to serve the interests of callous foreigners for fat profits for themselves, at Mother Ghana's expense. For all our sake, please do not give them that opportunity, under any circumstances. A word to the wise...
Tel (powered by Tigo - the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works!): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109.
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