The Works and Housing Minister and Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has taken a firm stand against illegal mining, declaring that his constituency will not permit any mining activities in their waterbodies.

His strong position comes in response to growing concerns about the environmental destruction caused by illegal mining, particularly to water resources.

Mr Oppong Nkrumah highlighted his unwavering commitment to protecting the natural resources in Ofoase Ayirebi, despite the political pressures surrounding the issue.

He emphasised that environmental preservation should take precedence over political interests and the pursuit of votes.

According to the MP, some of his colleagues in Parliament may hesitate to tackle illegal mining due to fear of losing voter support.

However, he made it clear that he is not influenced by such concerns and remains focused on ensuring that the waterbodies in his constituency are safeguarded from harmful mining activities.

“Today, some say that those mining in water bodies 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 water bodies, we won’t allow people to mine on water bodies here in Ofoase Ayirebi because the water is what we drink,” Nkrumah told some constituents.