You Have Grown Into A Shadow Of Yourself Concentrate On The Fight On Purging Our Water Bodies And Forests Of Illegal Activities

I have observed with reservation your present posturing, persona and actions as the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and Mp for Damongo constituency and i have cause to worry that you are fast growing into a shadow of yourself.

Remarkably, as Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, you have deliberately relinquished your duties as a minister tasked with the single mandate (your almighty flagship project) of fighting illegal activities that are destroying major water bodies in Ghana and fast depleting our thin forests cover. And has assumed the position of “clearing master of Galamsey and related activities” responding and reacting to everything and anything even when your views are not solicited.

It is understandable that you are nursing a presidential ambition and to be in the good books of your boss, President Nana Addo, you must be seen acting in defence of his every action even when those actions are detrimental to your political growth and against the aspirations of your dear constituents.

Regardless the piercing truth stated by President Mahama in his wise counsel to President Akuffo-Addo and his inept government of which you are an integral part, you could have kept quiet.

However; your exuberance and immature ambition to become President/Running Mate wouldn’t permit you to stay still and mute over President Mahama’s wise counsel to your government.

Regrettably, Mr. Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, whilst your boss and political Godfather has earned for himself the “dishonourable badge of Clearing agent of corruption”, you have grown into a shadow of yourself by earning for yourself a contemptible badge of “clearing master of Galamsey” who spares no time in jumping to defend corruption as well as illegal activities perpetuated by private entities on our water bodies and forest reserves.

You spared no time in defending the cash-for-seats scandal.

At a time the entirety of the Ghanaian population were up-in-arms calling for the resignation of the catastrophic Finance Minister, Ken Offori Attah, you were in the centre ardently defending his stay in office.

You again spared no time in defending the wanton allocation of the Achimota forest to government appointees and individuals aligned to the NPP government.

And even at a time when reputable state institutions and Civil Society Organisations such as the Media Coalition Against Illegal Mining and Minerals Commission have come to reiterate the “illegal” operations of mining outfits like the Akonta company around the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve and feared the “clearing” of Akonta Company of any wrong doings by the President could affect the coordinated efforts of these well-meaning organisations in the fight against illegal mining, your outfit as “clearing master of Galamsey ” came in defense of the unfortunate comment of President Akuffo-Addo and the Illegal activities of Akonta Company.

And as if that was not enough, your exuberant self has once again jumped into responding to President Mahama in his attempt to counsel President Akuffo-Addo
on his “clearing” laurels in corruption.

Ordinarily, I would have pardoned you and ignored your baseless response to President Mahama but it has become appropriate to remind you that you can inherit the Akuffo-Addo dynasty as it is your ambition to, without necessarily plying the footpath of the vulgar and penchant deceit of ordinary Ghanaians inherent in the political bloodline of the Akuffo-Addo dynasty.

To set the records straight:

1. Two (2) successive Special Prosecutors appointed and sworn into office by President Akuffo-Addo and with the mandate to fight corruption and corruption related offences have openly described the President as “The Mother serpent of corruption” and government appendages “as making the fight against corruption difficult”. And even before the Office of the Special Prosecutor releases its findings and directives for further action in the cases involving Charles Bissue and the Northern Development Authority, presidential staffers are all-over the media space attacking the office of the special prosecutor. A sordid confirmation of the special Prosecutor’s assertion.

2. Isn’t it true that President Akuffo-Addo has earned for himself the “dishonourable badge of Clearing agent of corruption?” How many corruption scandals has the Attorney General taken up and prosecuted? You must answer these questions before you can earn the moral right to respond to President Mahama.

As a young man with perhaps a somewhat bright political career, I will caution you to take your oath of office seriously and the fight against illegal activities on our water bodies and forest reserves much more personal for this may earn you some little political capital than the contemptible badge of “clearing master of Galamsey” you are struggling so hard to pin to your chest.

It will as well do you a lot of good if you heed to the wisdom contained in the counsel of President Mahama “to cherish fearless honesty and resist oppressors rule,” and participate together with the citizenry to “support the anti-corruption institutions to carry out their duties fairly and courageously without undue interference by any influences.”

Emmanuel Safo Sadari
Deputy Savannah Regional Secretary, NDC