The Lands and Mineral Resources minister Peter Amewu has been asked to resign after the collapse of a mining pit in Prestea Nsuta which has some 17 persons trapped after more than 48 hours.
Minority member of the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament Adam Mutawakilu told Joy News Tuesday, "he has not been able to perform to the satisfaction that Ghanaians expected and therefore he should go out".
The NDC Damongo MP said African leaders must learn from international practice to honorably resign in the wake of government ineffectiveness. He said the tragedy exposes government's failed efforts in fighting against illegal mining. For more than three months, the NPP government has embarked on flushing out illegal miners responsible for massive environmental degradation.
The minister has toured damaged land masses, screamed at lazy mines inspectors and criticized the Minerals Commission.He issued an ultimatum to illegal miners to stop in three weeks or face the law. Hundreds of excavators have been seized.
But last Sunday's tragedy brings the fight against the menace under fresh scrutiny. The pits, hand dug, is said to be 80 feet deep. There is scant regard for safety.
"...They just dig and as they go they use wooden props", deputy Lands and Natural Resources minister Benito-Owusu-Bio told Joy News Tuesday. He said the disaster happened after the illegal miners carried out an unplanned dynamite blast whilst their colleagues were inside the pit.
The NDC MP Adam Mutawakilu has described the tragedy as a "big slap" on the face of the Lands and Natural Resources minister Peter Amewu."He gave an ultimatum that come this day there will not be galamsey in Ghana and we are hearing of not only galamsey but it is even killing our people"
The Ranking member of the Mines and Energy Committee said Amewu must be blamed for the failure of institutions under the Ministry.
He also believes government's fight against the menace has been simplistic. "If you are a minister and you only go round and think that that going round is enough then we are deceiving ourselves" he said.
But deputy Lands and Natural Resources minister Benito-Owusu-Bio has rubbished the NDC MP's call. He said the NPP has achieved in six months what the former NDC government failed to do in 8 years.
Rejecting the view that the fight against illegal mining has been simplistic, the deputy minister said government has three plans to address the menace.
The plan A has been to sensitize the public, followed by a military taskforce to clamp down on the activity and finally, a Multilateral Mining Integrated Programme which will reclaim the damaged lands and also to provide alternative job opportunities for the miners.
Source: Joy News
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Wow! In NDC tenure in office was dumso dumso and for the NPP it's illegal mining all over the country. What is wrong with Africans? Or Ghanaians! Well, the Gods must be crazy....... We live in the era of no laws, no leaders,no police or no security. Africa leaders have failed for so long and are they trying to say that they cannot correct the mistakes our forefathers made? I can't think far... If Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo is bearing the touch of Africa, then his policy about one district one factory should not only be in Ghana but entire Africa.
Hey,I am surprised at this man's assertion. If there is anybody to resign it should be this empty barrel leaving parliament immediately. So these were the people ruling this country for the past eight years. I thank God Ghanaians saw their incompetencee and booted them out. Lord keep them there forever I pray. Amen
Hear this same Mutawakilu who goes round collecting bribes from every loose avenue. The PURC episode is still fresh in our memory, yet he talks without any iota of shame. This bunch of NDC robbers are so so annoying....In fact, they stink more in opposition than when they were in government. Thank goodness they were kicked out mercilessly and will remain there for a very long time, especially when their rigging system is demolished.
They are just idi*ts in Ghana politics annoying us and I tell them ndc will stay in opposition for long because a lot of fo*ls are in that party. The common sense is not common after all with the ndc,what fo*ls have been grouped to represent some people in parliament how do they choose their mps? Aaaah very disgusting indeed. I thank God my mp will never talk like that even though he is a young man, he is learned and very smart with wisdom not a fo*lish like others I see at the order side who talk and even a kid knows a ***barred word*** is talking, how can Ghana expand our constituencies for some ***barred word*** to get a chance to parliament? So may constituencies must be closed like Kwabena Akando ' s constituency,Sampson Ahi constituency,Oti Bless woa look! Aah what is this?
These NDC people are now just disgust*ing irrit@nts. So this is the first time in 9 years that a mine has collapsed and killed people? Where have you been all this time when people were dying in mines? The minister gave an order to stop illegal mining, some people have disobeyed the order and are still mining. They get killed and you say the minister should resign. What logic is this? So in your opinion, they should continue disobeying the minister...and for that the minister can be at post?