A member of the Movement for Change, Ebo Buckman, has taken a bold stance in an open letter to President John Dramani Mahama, condemning what he describes as decades of leadership failure in dealing with illegal mining, commonly referred to as galamsey.
According to Buckman, successive governments, including the present one under Mahama, have allowed a national disaster to fester through inaction, complicity, and politicization.
“Permit me to write to you not as a partisan, but as a deeply concerned citizen,” Buckman began.
“The ticking time bomb we’re sleeping on—environmental destruction masked as galamsey—is no longer a local issue. It is a test of national leadership, and sadly, we’re failing.”
He criticized Ghana’s political class for consistently turning a blind eye or offering lip service to what he now calls “environmental terrorism,” stressing that the situation has evolved beyond small-scale survival tactics.
“Let’s not deceive ourselves anymore. What we’re witnessing today is no longer galamsey, it is environmental terrorism.
“The real perpetrators are not the struggling youth… They are the shadowy figures behind the scenes: foreigners, politicians, businessmen and women,” he stated.
Buckman challenged President Mahama and other national leaders to reflect on how the political establishment has allowed powerful interests to hijack the illegal mining space.
He lamented that despite countless pledges and task forces, the destruction of Ghana’s rivers, forests, and farmlands continues unchecked.
