Former Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Inusah Fuseini, has urged President Mahama to declare a state of emergency on mining in water bodies and forest reserves. Apexnewsgh reports
Fuseini cited the escalating environmental damage and risks to public health and future generations as reasons for this drastic measure. He believes that declaring a state of emergency would enable the government to freeze all existing licenses and reclaim the affected areas.
Fuseini emphasized that the level of degradation caused by illegal mining requires firm action. “When you declare a state of emergency, you freeze all rights. So the accrued rights are frozen, and then you can go into the forest to deal with the people who are there. We need to protect the environment,” he said. He warned that any delay could have severe repercussions for the Mahama administration.
Fuseini stressed that the government’s response to illegal small-scale mining could become a defining issue of its tenure. “If there’s anything that will affect us as a government, more in this term of John Dramani Mahama, it will be our ability or inability to fight illegal small-scale mining,” he said.
Fuseini highlighted the human impact of pollution, linking polluted rivers to increased kidney disease and birth defects. He warned of a potential health crisis if water bodies continue to deteriorate and urged Ghanaians to protect forests and rivers for present and future generations, invoking the principle of intergenerational equity.
Fuseini reminded the NDC of its promise to declare a state of emergency and repeal Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462, allowing mining in forest reserves. He emphasized that fulfilling these promises is a matter of “moral integrity” and welcomed recent steps toward repealing the law. He urged the government to take swift action to prevent further demonstrations, saying, “The demonstration may not become necessary anymore.”
