‘I will do anything to end galamsey in this second term’ - Nana Addo during a visit of the Okyehene to the Jubilee house on April 2021

Hi,

So how are you doing?
Did you cry during The Queen's funeral? I didn’t even get to watch it ooo.
It actually fell on our anniversary but it went low key or uneventful for us.

Oh no, not our wedding anniversary, I meant our meeting anniversary.
Yea, my girlfriend and I have this "thing" where we celebrate the date we meet, 19th.

Please, stop with the "aaww that's so romantic ❤????", I have not wished her "happy anniversary" for over 3 months now!! Haha.

Rekindling my romantic side on the day of The Queen's burial doesn't feel right but next month I will feature romantically.

It's been some 365 weeks since we met ooo, eeiish, "we too we do and are still doing some ooo." Haha.

Anyways, I found myself laying on the floor of my room just flipping channels. I was flipping through music channels and documentaries when the picture of my president catch my attention.

So, I stopped and listened:

"Fellow Ghanaians, good evening."

"I have come to your homes again this evening to provide an update, as I promised on the measures taken by my government to combat the menace of illegal small-scale mining activities popularly called Galamsey."

"This wanton destruction of our forests covers, river bodies, and lands that are threatening our very lives as a country need to stop.

Reports and research that I have received from the Coco board, Ghana Water Company and other civil societies show that we are sitting on a time bomb with very little time remaining."

"We don't have the time to do business as usual."

"The destruction posed by these activities in this age of Global warming and the release of poisonous compounds like mercury and cyanides into our water bodies are major concerns to the government."

"The effects of the above can be seen in the unpredictable weather patterns we are experiencing now and the rise in kidney disease cases and other skin infections in our mining towns and villages."

"As you'll all recall, back in 2017, to show my seriousness and commitment to the fight, I "put my presidency on the line".

From there we put several measures in place to curb the menace.
This led to the creation of the "Galamstop", Operation Vanguard, and Operation Halt, 1&2 which helped to somehow fight the canker."

Despite all the planning, money, and energy that went into these measures and taskforces, unfortunately, they've all failed to achieve the needed results.

I know some people have called for my resignation as president with respect to the fight against Galamsey but I think I have paid for that by how the electorate in many of these mining areas voted against us in the 2020 elections."

I want to assure all Ghanaians that my government is still committed to the fight against Galamsey.

This week, I chaired a meeting with the inter-ministerial Committee on illegal small-scale mining.

After deliberations, I have decided in the interest of public safety and the protection of our population and generations yet unborn, to issue the following directives in the fight against illegal small-scale mining:

1. Starting from next week Monday, all mining licenses and activities in the country have been suspended for eight (8) weeks.

This is to allow for a proper and independent audit of all mining licenses in the country to ensure mining regulations are being followed by both large and small-scale mining companies.

It will also serve as a fallow period for the land.

We are very much aware of the economic implications of such a directive, especially in these times but are also minded of the future implications if we do nothing at this time.

2. I have tasked the military command to constitute a new task force.
This shall not be yet another task force, but this one will be a specialised tactical unit made up of snipers and officers with skills in guerrilla warfare.

This task force shall be called "Operation Now Or Never!!"

Information of personnel for this unit will be under the watch of the Chief of Army Staff Major-General Thomas Oppong Peprah and my good self.

Should there be a report or rumours of compromise on the part of any of the teams during the operation, that team or personnel will be summarily dismissed from the military.

There is no need for interdictions and long investigations that leads to no convictions.

This special unit will be given all the necessary equipment and the special mandate to shot to kill anyone found at a mining site during the mandatory eight (8) weeks ban.

All equipment except excavators found at the sites shall be destroyed.
The excavators shall then be handed over to DCE after it's been fitted with a special tracker and details recorded.

These shall be employed during the process of reclamation of lands.

For those of you who will like to start our usual "human rights campaigns or hashtags, please consider also the economic, social, and health rights of our country as her cocoa is red flagged for containing harmful chemicals.

Her farmers carry bags of sachet water to mix their fertilizers, the GWCL warning that we may start importing drinking water, etc.

3. All MMDCs, Chiefs, MPs, and media houses in mining communities where these small-scale mining activities go on in the country have one week to start educating and warning their constituents about these directives.

All DMDCs should form their own "excavator accounting" task forces to make sure the numbers the military reports reconcile with what they have in their possessions.

Any irregularities in numbers shall not be investigated but the military team and MMDC involved will lose their jobs.

The usual "blame game" shall not be tolerated.

Mining companies with permits are also encouraged to use this opportunity to deal with all the necessary HR issues with their staff, shareholders and stakeholders.

No region, town, or community will be spared.

4. At the end of the sixth (6) week fallow and audit period, the GWC will use two (2) weeks to go around and check the turbidity of our major rivers while the EPA and Forestry Commission assess the feasibility of reclamation of some of these lands and forest covers.

Their reports will form the basis for any decision on these further directives.

I have directed the Attorney General to immediately submit to parliamentary all the Acts and Articles needed to be amended in the constitution with respect to the above directives.

I call upon Parliament to support the Executive in this national endeavour.

I plead with the minority to not turn these debates for the amendments that the honourable and hardworking AG will bring to Parliament into another E-levy debate.

Fellow Ghanaians,

The fight against illegal mining is not a partisan one, we'll all be at the losing end if we play the usual political football with it.

I urge you all to help the government to disarm this time bomb hanging on our necks.

These are not ordinary times, so, let us all put our shoulders on the wheel and I am confident that, together by the grace of God, we shall overcome these challenges.

This too shall pass!!

May God bless us all, and our nation Ghana and make her great and strong.

I thank you all for your attention.

Good night."

As I got up to switch off the TV, I stumbled on one of the toys laying on the floor, and hit my head on the floor, I woke up and reality donned on me.

Ooh, so this is all a dream.????
Hmmm.

But seriously, won't this be the way to go in this fight against Galamsey?
We seem to be more "successful" at organizing the fanfares and rhetoric that comes with the fight but very shambolic at implementation!!

But then again, what do I know, and is this not just my weird brain on one of its outlandish musings?

Wow, you've read all the way to this point, and they say Ghanaians don't like reading?
????????????

Help in the fight against Galamsey, repost this on as many platforms as you can,
maybe this will kick someone out of their slumber.

We are seriously joking with this fight against Galamsey ooo.
Hmmm

Thanks for your time, still remember to
Hold On, Pain Ends = HOPE.

Cheers To Life!!