The national conversation on galamsey has sparked heated exchanges beteen former Presidential staffer Dennis Miracles Aboagye and investigative journalist Erastus Asare Donkor.
In a sharp rebuttal to Donkor’s recent comments, Aboagye accused the journalist of fueling partisan narratives in the past and failing to call out the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for its role in the worsening destruction of river bodies.
“Erastus Asare Donkor, you seem to be fighting anyone raising concerns about the deteriorating nature of our river bodies in 2025,” Aboagye said.
He insisted that politics had undermined the fight against galamsey.
“I still insist, politics is what affected the fight against galamsey. And for you, it was because you failed to accept the fact that NDC politicised the fight and stood on the side of galamseyers,” he stated.
According to him, the NDC openly encouraged galamsey operators while Donkor chose to look away.
“When we even plainly saw the NDC in the galamsey pit encouraging galamseyers, you were completely blind to that and kept supporting the claim that Nana Akufo-Addo was the cause of galamsey,” Aboagye charged.
He further argued that the narrative that galamsey only became a menace under the Akufo-Addo administration was misleading.
“You were one of the people who pushed that false narrative as if galamsey started in 2017 and only during the Akufo-Addo era,” he said, adding that the problem has worsened even after Akufo-Addo left office.
“That was simply one of the challenges and it’s confirmed now, that Nana Addo is out of office and galamsey has even tripled,” he said.
Aboagye maintained that his advocacy has been consistent.
“As for me, I have been consistent in my advocacy against galamsey and the evidence abounds.
“If your fight is against galamsey, then you should be happy even if you get new advocates joining your cause.
“Unless it’s otherwise. You can’t fight galamsey and fight others also fighting galamsey. Do what you do and allow others to also speak up,” he advised.
He concluded by reminding Donkor that the focus should remain on government action.
“We are simply asking the government to implement the promises it made towards the fight against galamsey. What are you asking for?” he quizzed.
Earlier, Erastus Asare Donkor had questioned the sincerity of some of the voices now positioning themselves as anti-galamsey crusaders.
“Today those who ignored us and tagged us doing politics with galamsey are now ambassadors doing press conferences along the same rivers they watched people pollute!
“Today Miracles, who told me I was using galamsey to serve my own agenda, is now an ambassador. Ghana is a very funny country,” Donkor remarked.
