Okudzeto Ablakwa Declares Zero-Tolerance Of Galamsey Activities On Volta River
According to the young astute politician, it is the collective efforts for all citizens in the region to go any length to flush out illegal miners who may have attempted to mine gold from the Volta River and other rivers across the region to protect them.
Freeman Koryekpor 
MEMBER Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu Constituency in the Volta Region, Honourable Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa, has declared zero-tolerance of the illegal mining activities popularly known as galamsey operation on Volta River to protect the river from pollution.
According to the young astute politician, it is the collective efforts for all citizens in the region to go any length to flush out illegal miners who may have attempted to mine gold from the Volta River and other rivers across the region to protect them.
"Your safety is not guarantee if you have been caught operating illegal mining activities on the Volta River and other rivers in the region. This is the only source of drinking for us so we need to protect it from pollution," the MP stressed and warned galamsey operators.
Consequently, he has urged the chiefs, other traditional office holders, opinion leaders, religious leaders, security personnel among others to deal ruthlessly with all persons engaged in illegal mining in the Volta River.
"I want to suggest to the Manklolo of Mepe Traditional area, Togbe Korsi Nego VI that we should not wait for government to come to take task to fight the galamsey operators who were planning to come and invade the Volta River to destroy it. we are all here as the people in the region. So let us declare no galamsey in the Volta River,' Honourable Okudzeto Ablakwa stressed.
Honourable Okudzeto-Ablakwa made foregoing statement to send a strong worded warnings to the galamsey operators when he was speaking to the chiefs and people of Mepe Traditional Area when they climaxed their 2023 Afenorto festival with a grand durbar on Saturday August 5, 2023.
The MP's statement comes to light when he has received an intelligence that some unscrupulous illegal miners were planning to invade the almighty Volta River to mine gold after they [illegal miners] had succeeded in storming Black Volta to carry their illegal mining activities in their hideouts at the banks of the lake.
The Volta River is the main river system in the West African country of Ghana. It flows south into Ghana from the Bobo-Dioulasso highlands of Burkina Faso.
The main parts of the river are the Black Volta, the White Volta, and the Red Volta.
Touching on how he would deal with the situation, he said: "We want to finish the current operation and engage the chiefs and other traditional rulers in the region to stop that bad attitude," calling on the chiefs to act in the national interest.
"We have all the capacities to lead fight to flush out any illegal mining activity on the Volta River. And let us pledge as the people in the various communities in the region that if we see anybody attempting to do even galamsey in the any place on Volta River we ourselves are going to drive those people out from the river.
"We have the power and capacity to do that. The constitution of Ghana empowers every citizens to effect the arrest of someone has committed wrong or someone wanted to subvert or undermine the constitution. You have the constitutional rights or mandate as the citizens to stop those people to come to destroy the Volta River," he stated.
The MP swore heaven and earth that we the people in the Volta Region are not going to make like other parts of Ghana when they are waiting for people in authority to fight against illegal miners. We have the authority, we have the power to declare that Volta River no go area for galamsey."
He pointed out that "the Black Volta the illegal miners have started doing illegal mining activities on it. But we are not going to allow such activities to happen on the Volta River.
He assured that "We are would chase the illegal miners out of the Volta River if they dared it. So we are declaring today that no galamsey in the Volta River. We couldn't allow it. We cannot guarantee the safety of the person who dares to mine in the Volta Region.
"Because we have seen how the mining prone communities cooperated for those authorities whether police or security personnel or whatsoever Minerals Commission and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
"...we have seen how the institutions appeared helpless so we are not going to wait. We are going to lawfully resist any attempt to by illegal miners to come and destroy the only source of drinking water. Volta Rever is a no going area for those galamsey operatives," he sounded another warning to galamseyers.
The MP further vowed that they are going to allow any illegal miner or miner who has gone permit from the Mineral Commission and Environmental Protection Agency to either mine gold in the Volta Region to protect it from pollution.
He called on all the citizens to report to the national security agencies of any attempt by the illegal miners to move their Changfan machines to the areas of the Volta River so that we can get rid of the illegal miners holistically.
He appealed to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to create more police barriers within the catchment areas on banks of the Volta River and let police officers focus more on the monitoring and impounding of excavators being moved to the Volta River areas for illegal mining.
According to him, considering the extent to which the environment was being destroyed with impunity, it was important to look beyond persons who were directly mining illegally on the field and focus more on the financiers if the fight is to be won.
He noted that it strikes him as really strange that in this entire galamsey fight we have not had one galamsey overlord, one real architect, an actual financier arrested and prosecuted. Isn’t that where the fight should have started from?” he asked.
In this regard, the North Tongu legislator called on all political parties to publicly declare a zero-tolerance policy for party financing from galamsey overlords at all levels.
He stressed that this ought to be strictly enforced with appropriate sanctions,” he said.
He was of the view that looking at the approach to fighting the menace, the success of the current fight against the menace was uncertain.
For his part, the Manklolo of Mepe Traditional area, Togbe Korsi Nego VI, in his welcome address bemoaned the unemployment situation in the district and the country as a whole.
Togbe Korsi Nego VI noted that the surest way of curbing unemployment is to bring vocational and technical education to the doorsteps of the people.
He said in order to achieve this he called for the completion of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) school in Dadome.
Togbe Korsi Nego VI noted that the structure is at the roofing stage and needs to be completed to enable the school to admit students.
He said the school, if completed and equipped with the necessary equipment will help the youth gain employable skills. This, he said, will help reduce pressure on the government in regard to employment creation.
“We are appealing to the government through the regional minister to help us complete the structure and install the necessary equipment for teaching and learning to commence,” Togbe Korsi Nego VI stated.
The Chairman of the Mepe Development Association (MDA), Mr Kojo Elenu Mawuleme Fabian, speaking at the ceremony said the relevance of togetherness in peace and development cannot be over emphasised, hence the need to live in a world where there is harmony, progress and prosperity.
“We all desire to live in a world where there is harmony, peace and development as well as prosperity but achieving this goal can sometimes be challenging especially when we face multiple threats, challenges and uncertainties,” Mr Fabian said.
He noted that collaboration and dialogue are key components to creating a stable and prosperous future by putting aside differences and working together for a common goal in the development of the nation.
“We must make a conscious effort to ensure that our communities are inclusive, promoting solidarity and tolerance,” Mr Fabian said.
The Afenorto festival (meaning a period of rest at home) is the traditional festival of the Chiefs and people of Mepe Traditional area which is celebrated annually to renew the sense of oneness of the people.
It also provides a unique opportunity for reunions with the extended family and friends.
The festival was under the theme; “together in peace and development.”
