Spokesperson for National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Mahama, has accused certain officials of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) of complicity in the fight against illegal mining (galamsey).

According to Felix Kwakye Ofosu, these officials are actively involved in galamsey activities and due to their involvement, are unable to take the necessary actions to effectively combat the problem.

“The problem that we have and the reason why it has escalated to this scale is that there are greedy corrupt-money-loving people in the ruling government that have gotten involved in this activity,” he said on Newsfile on Saturday, September 7.

• Read also: Whoever wins 2024 election won’t guarantee halt of ‘galamsey’ unless…. – Prof Aning

He referenced various media reports that have exposed some government officials from the NPP in illegal mining activities, questioning how the government could grant concessions to individuals who form companies and engage in mining within forest reserves.

“The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP sets up a company, goes very close to a river source and engages in activities that clearly violate the regulations governing that sector,” he stressed.

Mr Ofosu further criticised the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia-led government, stating that they will go down in infamy for presiding over environmental destruction during their eight years in office.

He rejected the idea that the state is incapable of addressing the illegal mining activities that are devastating the environment.

The spokesperson for the NDC flagbearer further emphasised that the issue of illegal mining is not primarily about the youth seeking employment through such activities. Instead, he argued, the real problem lies in the government's complicity, driven by greed and a lack of morality.

“The issue is that the government has demonstrated that they are never going to address this problem because they benefit from it,” he added.

Mr Ofosu called on citizens to take action through public demonstrations and demand that the government does the right thing to resolve the illegal mining crisis.