Being jobless does not justify anybody engaging in illegal mining and putting the lives of the people in danger, the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Ellembelle, Kwasi Bonzoh, has admonished.

He says it would be pointless to justify the activities of illegal miners simply because they are unemployed.

“The fact that you are jobless doesn’t justify or guarantee that you should be mining illegally,” he told Samson Lardy Anyenini on Joy FM's Newsfile programme.

There have been suggestions that providing employment to the youth in the country could help curb the menace, with some activists arguing that most of the illegal miners are merely people desperate for extra money and work amidst the present economic downturn.

Therefore, any proactive step by the government to get the educated and uneducated youth sustainable jobs, would go a long way to save lands and water bodies from destruction.

“Jobless, unemployment is one issue that government is tackling” but the youth should not use that as an excuse to trade in ‘galamsey’ businesses, Kwasi Bonzoh noted.

“Over here in Kokomlemle, there are jobless people; does that warrant that they should come in and attack and steal from Joy FM because Joy FM is prospering?” he quizzed.

“The fact that you are jobless doesn’t give you the permission to pollute our water bodies then we [the rest not into galamsey] would suffer.”

Meanwhile, he wants government to tighten its law enforcement mechanisms, observing that “without these laws, all the fights and talks will come to nought.”