Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, says the illegal mining menace has gone on for years because of a lack of integrity in leadership.

According to him, successive governments have failed to exercise the needed political will to end the menace leading to the festering of galamsey activities in the country.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, he said governments have intentionally turned a blind eye to the situation and now it has gotten out of hands.

“The galamsey matter let’s be honest, it is just a reflection of the lack of integrity in leadership, that’s it, that’s what it is, lack of integrity. So there’s no sincerity, there’s a lot of pretense, we don’t need a new law, we don’t need to know who to report to. There’s no inch of land, no space in our country that is not under political control,” he said.

He added that the active involvement of illegal miners in the country’s politics has further aggravated the situation.

He therefore called for more strong willed leadership to deal with rogue party elements involved in galamsey.

“We all know the galamseyers, they’ve come to collect party cards, they’ve come for top positions and leaders cannot tell them in the face that stop it, we’re going to arrest you, we’re going to prosecute you. So it’s failed leadership, no integrity. Let’s call it what it is,” he said.