The President promised Ghanaians both as candidate and a sitting President that he will put his presidency on-line in his fight against illegal small-scale mining, otherwise known as galamsey. Of course, judging by the manner Ghana’s water bodies has deteriorated under the previous NDC administration, none could dispute that fact that the President was not only addressing the concerns of many Ghanaians and their communities plagued by the galamsey menace; but also, the danger of our rivers being destroyed in perpetuity.
To ensure a much more commitment to the cause, the President set up an inter-ministerial committee that kept the taps on galamsey practitioners and reported back to the Head of State, who really the perpetrators were. Many congratulated the President for the bold step, which obviously was in line with his avowed aim of kicking out galamsey in its entirety. With Prof Frimpong Boateng, the very respected heart surgeon, as the chairman of the ministerial committee, the popular view was that his final report will perhaps serve as the killer hammer that will forever obliterate galamsey.
The faith in Prof Frimpong Boateng stemmed from his disposition as someone who is considered more of a nationalist, than just one of those partisan politicians, although he has not shied away from his NPP credentials. Even the most unrepentant doubters trusted the learned Professor to perform a non-partisan job to the satisfaction of the President and the general public. His report, many had believed would not add up to the dusted ones at the shelves of public institutions.
It therefore would form a natural order that the President would be hailed for his boldness and tenacity to deal with galamsey, irrespective of the people involved, some of whom were believed to be core members of his party and to some extent his administration. Even the decision by the Ministerial Team to burn excavators of people involved in the illegal mining was hailed. It was never considered a callous approach, except for opposition political parties who tried to make a capital out it for political gains. The hardline stance of the President even affected some genuine small-scale miners, including Kate Gyamfua, the Women’s Organiser of the NPP.
That was considered an undue price to pay though, but it did shorten the drive by many to encourage the President’s quest to deal with the menace. The President was thus insulated from the indiscriminate burning of the galamsey equipment. For many, who lauded the President on that score, the lives of Ghanaians and the sanctity of our water bodies were crucial to the survival of millions of Ghanaians than sparring a few elements, including his own party members, who were heist of the galamsey destruction of our environment.
But today the narrative is changing so fast. The same President who was applauded for his untiring efforts at halting galamsey is at the receiving end of peoples’ anger. Most Ghanaians are questioning why and how the President could conceal Prof. Frimpong Boateng’s final report of the galamsey findings. The report was presented to the presidency in 2021. The report was given to the President with copies sent to the Chief of State Madam Frema Opare. Perhaps, as an obedient party man, Prof Frimpong Boateng wouldn’t comment on the galamsey report in the open. That was a masterstroke.
As an obedient “messenger”, he did that which he was instructed by his boss to do. Indeed, he even went to the extent of being mute on his findings despite attempts by members of government to accuse and malign him of being complicit in the galamsey practice, together with his son. After the bombshell from the Frimpong Boateng report which was sneaked into the public domain by the inquisitive media, many are beginning to realise the main reason why Frimpong Boateng’s adversaries were rather on his neck. It was just a means of deflecting peoples’ mood and anger against the learned Professor.
Even at that, the specialized heart surgeon refused to be dragged into the obvious politics. But so unlucky for the ruling party, the details of the report are a litany of damning episode of how the President’s own people including his kitchen cabinet and associates are found complicit. They include Gabby Otchere-Darko, the man touted as the Prime Minister of Ghana; Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the information minister; Lord Commey, the Director of Operations, Jubilee House; Charles Nii Teiko Tagoe, a Presidential Staffer and Bernard Antwi Bosiako, chairman Wonumi, the Ashanti Regional chairman of the NPP.
The others are Frank Bekoe, Office of the Chief of Staff; Albert Quarm a former MP and Captain Koda, a presidential advisor on security matters at the president. As expected, each of the stated persons are trying very hard to absolve themselves from the obvious scandal with the likes of Otchere-Darko and Oppong Nkrumah resorting to insults and aspersions against Prof Boateng. One wonders why they would not hit the court room to redeem their tainted image. But whatever course this matter takes, unfortunately, President Akufo Addo is scripting an NPP obituary in the 2024 elections.
The fact is before the Frimpong Boateng report findings were made public; many had suspected that some of the people cited in the report were accomplices in the galamsey destruction. It will be a difficult task for the President and his administration to tear down the already formed perception that he has failed woefully in his galamsey fight. Not to talk of how Ghana’s economy is bleeding profusely.
