The General Overseer of the Charismatic Evangelistic Ministry (CEM), Rev. Steve Mensah, has called on the government to immediately deploy the military’s armoured vehicles and tankers to galamsey sites across the country to end the illegal mining menace once and for all.
Delivering a passionate appeal, Rev. Mensah described the galamsey crisis as a national war that requires urgent, forceful, and sustained military intervention.
“The government has no choice but to immediately deploy military armoured cars and tankers to the galamsey sites and crush this destructive, illegal menace once and for all,” he declared.
According to him, illegal mining has become so entrenched that only direct and consistent military presence in the affected areas can bring lasting change.
“The government should create a strong military presence at places where illegal mining is rampant. If this is done for just six months, the issue of galamsey will stop,” he said.
Rev. Mensah expressed deep frustration over what he described as the government’s lack of willpower to confront the crisis head-on. He criticized authorities for leaving the army’s heavy equipment “parked in the barracks” while the nation’s water bodies, farmlands, and future generations suffer.
“Instead of using the military’s might to protect our lands and rivers, we have decided to pack the tankers in our barracks and preach that galamsey must stop through mere words. Mere words cannot change this menace,” he lamented.
He warned that Ghana’s water bodies are being poisoned beyond recovery and that the nation risks a future where it may have to import drinking water, a scenario he described as shameful, considering the country’s natural wealth.
“Our waters are being poisoned, our food crops are being contaminated, and soon our water will become untreatable. If we do not act now, we’ll soon be importing water from other countries,” he cautioned.
Rev. Mensah also condemned the role of foreign nationals in the galamsey trade, accusing some of bribing local officials and corrupting young Ghanaians.
“We are allowing foreigners to destroy our water bodies, bribe immigration officers, impregnate our young girls, and even carry guns in the name of protecting themselves,” he fumed.
Describing galamsey as a war against the nation, the preacher insisted that it must be treated as such.
“There is a war against galamsey, and if it is not treated as a war, this menace will not stop,” he said.
Rev. Mensah urged the government to take decisive action by first crushing illegal mining activities, and then introducing a transparent system that promotes responsible and sustainable mining.
“After the right actions are taken, then the government can decide who mines responsibly. But it seems the government wants us to drop dead before something is done about it,” he stated bluntly.
His fiery message has since struck a chord with many Ghanaians, resonating deeply amid growing concerns over the destruction of rivers, forests, and farmlands by illegal miners.
