If like me you have been fighting those behind the degradation of our
forests for nearly two decades, and seen the dispiriting apathy of our
educated urban elites, when approached to act to stop the rampant
illegal gold mining and illegal chainsaw logging in places like Akyem
Juaso and elsewhere in Akyem Abuakwa, the latest twist in the saga of
illegal gold mining in Ghana - the murder of Ghanaians by Chinese
nationals mining gold illegally, and the brutal assault on a
protesting cocoa farmer by two American citizens from the American state
of Utah, also engaged in illegal gold mining in Ghana - comes as no
surprise.
The shocking complacency of those charged with protecting what is left
of our nation's natural heritage over the years, is nothing short of
criminal.
For the last time, from someone at the sharp end of this unfolding
national tragedy, I appeal to President Mahama to act to end the
impunity of those behind illegal gold mining and chainsaw logging in
Ghana, once and for all.
The President must order the military high command and the leadership
of the Ghana Police Service, to work with the Environmental Protection
Agency, the Minerals Commission and the Forestry Commission to draw up
plans to prevent the wealthy criminal syndicates behind most of the
illegal gold mining and logging in Ghana, from evolving into Liberian
and Sierra Leone-style warlords.
And evolve into warlords they will, if officialdom in Accra does not sit up.
We must never forget that it is the same lust for gold, diamonds and
logs by a powerful and ruthless few, which underpinned much of the
lawlessness that made the brutal civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone
possible in the end, and made the fighting so intense.
Those of us who for decades have warned that the same thing could
happen here, but who have been regarded as nuisances by the public
officials whose job it is to halt the illegal gold mining and chainsaw
logging in the forest belt of Ghana, now have a sense of foreboding.
To prevent the situation getting out of hand, the relevant regulatory
bodies in Ghana must now deal ruthlessly with all those destroying our
forests and polluting our rivers in their quest for gold and chainsaw
lumber , without exception.
The reality is that the lust for gold - and the massive profits derived
from illegal chainsaw lumber - has made a majority of them mad - and
they are very very dangerous for that reason.
The only way to proceed, if our nation is to ensure that warlords,
who will not hesitate to take on the security services, in order to
control territory in which they can illegally mine gold and fell trees
with impunity, do not emerge in Ghana, is for a change in attitudes
amongst public officials across board and nationwide.
They must understand that in a real sense they are drinking in the Last Chance Saloon.
The time has finally come for officialdom to act ruthlessly to halt illegal gold mining and chainsaw logging in Ghana.
If they fail to do so, those behind the ruinous illegality will finally
turn Ghana into a lawless land - to enable them to act with complete
impunity. A word to the wise...
Tel: 027 745 3109.
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