Minister Designate for Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, says he does not agree with persons who say the military has failed in the fight against galamsey.
In the wake of allegations of military complicity in illegal mining otherwise known as “galamsey”, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in May 2017 urged the military to help the fight against illegal mining.
The president made the statement while speaking at the Reconnaissance Regiment colours presentation parade at Burma Camp.
He said, as the government intensifies its effort to clamp down on illegal mining otherwise known as “Galamsey,” Ghanaians were also relying on the security services to successfully end the menace with the Ghana Armed Forces at the forefront.
“As government intensifies its efforts to curb the illegal mining phenomenon otherwise referred to as Galamsey that is polluting our water bodies, destroying out farm lands and forest and threatening the very survival of this country, Ghanaians will continue to rely on the services of our security services with the Armed Forces in the forefront to help deal with the problem”, the President said.
After the statement, Operation Vanguard, a Military Police Joint Task Force (JTF) was set up by to combat the operation of galamsey in Ghana.
Asked whether or not he sides with critics who say the fight against galamsey was a huge failure despite the intervention of the military during his vetting at the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Thursday, February 11th , 2021, Dominic Nitiwul said the general public is aware the extent to which galamsey consumed the country.
“I don’t agree if you say that the military has failed in the fight against galamsey. We know the extent to which galamsey consumed our country. I’m not in favour of keeping the military in forests for a long time to fight galamsey”, he told the committee.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Vivian Adu Boatemaa
