MAHAMA VALUES GOLD ABOVE LIVES AND WATER BODIES – NTIM FORDJOUR

The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has launched a scathing attack on former President John Dramani Mahama, accusing him of prioritising gold over the health and safety of Ghanaians as well as the protection of the nation’s water bodies.

In a social media post on Saturday, September 27, the Assin South MP described Mr. Mahama’s recent comments on illegal gold mining as “insensitive” and a betrayal of his own past promises.

Mr. Mahama had reportedly remarked during a press briefing that: “gold, whether from illegal or legal sources, at least since it is our environment that is being destroyed, we must enjoy the benefits rather than foreigners enjoying it.”

Reacting to this, Rev. Ntim Fordjour argued that such a position disregards the long-term damage being inflicted on Ghana’s environment. He noted that under the former president’s leadership, major rivers including the Ankobra, which are treated by the Ghana Water Company, had deteriorated severely.

He accused the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) of abandoning its earlier stance on illegal mining, recalling that the party once vowed to declare a state of emergency on the menace while in opposition.

The Assin South legislator challenged Mr. Mahama to live up to that commitment by immediately declaring a state of emergency on illegal mining. He also called on the government to publish daily turbidity levels of rivers, impose a ban on water importation, and take bold steps to clamp down on galamsey operators.

“It is unconscionable to destroy our river bodies and forests just to make money for your government and party apparatchiks,” he cautioned, stressing that putting gold before people’s lives and the environment would have grave consequences for ordinary Ghanaians.