In a firm stance against illegal mining, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Works and Housing Minister and Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayirebi, has declared that his constituency will not permit mining activities in their waterbodies.
His statement comes amidst growing concerns about the environmental impact of such activities and the political pressures surrounding them.
“Today, some say that those mining in waterbodies should be left to do so because if we ask them to stop, they won’t vote for us.”
“I want to emphatically say that if an MP wants to allow people to mine on his waterbodies, we won’t allow people to mine on waterbodies here in Ofoase Ayirebi because the water is what we drink,” Nkrumah told some constituents on Saturday.
Nkrumah highlighted the personal financial burden he bears to support anti-mining raids, revealing that he contributes approximately GH¢7000 for each operation.
“Whenever they are going for a raid, they take about GH¢7000 from me before they do so. So, if someone somewhere is afraid to fight persons destroying our waterbodies, we in Ofoase Ayirebi won’t allow that here,” he asserted.
The Minister also emphasised that there are proper methods for mining that do not harm the environment, urging those interested in mining to follow legal and environmentally friendly practices.
“If you want to mine, there is a good way to go about it,” he said.
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