National Coordinator of the District Road Improvement Project (DRIP), Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, has declared his unwavering support for President John Dramani Mahama’s renewed efforts to end illegal mining, widely known as galamsey.
He commended the President’s sincerity in tackling the menace and called on Ghanaians to rally behind him as they did during former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s administration.
Speaking on Breakfast Daily on Channel One TV on Thursday, October 16, Mr. Vanderpuye said, “The President means well; all of us as a country need to support the system, as it happened under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. It’s something that we all should be committed to.”
He admitted, however, that those benefitting from the galamsey trade continue to make the fight difficult.
He expressed confidence in the dedication of Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah and Colonel Dominic Buah, Commanding Officer of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), to the cause.
“Sometimes it’s not the President, but the people around the game. I’m very convinced by Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah’s commitment, and Colonel Dominic Buah, the Commanding Officer in charge of Ghana’s National Anti-illegal Mining Operations Secretariat’s (NAIMOS), desire to fight the galamsey,” he stated.
The DRIP National Coordinator also expressed concern about the devastating impact of galamsey on human health, water bodies, and the environment.
He pledged his full commitment to support all measures adopted by the President to end illegal mining and announced that DRIP will play a key role in reclaiming affected lands.
“As part of the government’s plans, my outfit will help reclaim galamsey sites by levelling the lands with black soil once the illegal miners have been cleared. This initiative will cover all districts where DRIP machines are deployed to support the President’s efforts,” he said.
Source:Lovinghananews.com
