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Fight against illegal mining: FGCL quotes Jeremiah 2: 7-9 to condemn galamsey
Rt. Rev. Godwin Dela Fiagome
(President – FGCI)
The leadership and members of the Full Gospel Church International have condemned the spate of environmental degradation in the country by illegal miners known in the local parlance as “Galamsey”.
At the 21st Session of the General Council meeting which ended on Saturday, October 22, 2022, at Tema in the Greater Accra Region, the church members collectively condemned illegal mining (galamsey) and its devastating effects on land, water bodies and livelihood.
Rt Rev. Godwin DelaFiagome, President of FGCT Quoting Jeremiah 2:7-9 to buttress the stance of the church in the fight against the wanton destruction of the environment said “I brought you into a bountiful country, to eat its fruit and its goodness. But when you entered, you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination. The priests did not say, “Where is the Lord?” And those who handle the law did not know Me: The rulers also transgressed against Me: The Prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit. “Therefore, I will yet bring charges against you,” says the LORD,” And against your children’s children.
“The Galamsey menace has been topical over the years, and we insist that it is a multiple-stakeholder-caused albatross the nation has been grappling with. It has now hit a crescendo, and urgent multiple-stakeholder-solutions are needed to overturn the already derailed negative environmental consequences and associated degenerated livelihood of both present and future Ghanaians. Various organs of State, Ghanaians and the Church have failed to hold in high esteem, our heritage won for us by letting the Galamsey menace ravage our land, water bodies and livelihoods”.
“ It is sad that our nation is reeling under the after-effects of this menace” he said
The man of God said thatGhana, pacesetter in the West African sub-region and beyond on national development, sovereignty and socioeconomic living had become a pale shadow of itself. Stressing that the once-blessed land was now defiled with illegal mining of our mineral resources which is buried underneath the land for which God gifted us for our collective prosperity.
“Our arable land is gifted to produce fruits and goodness to citizens, but has unfortunately become an abomination in the sight of the Creator because the machines and chemicals have defiled and made it unproductive. The chemicals have dripped into our water bodies over time, making them dangerous to human and animal lives.
“How did we get here?From the Executive to Legislature, the Judiciary, the Security agencies and the Pulpit to the ordinary Ghanaian, we have sold our birthright in the galamsey debacle, and we must be ready to undo the negative long-term effects going forward”he said
The General Council has resolved that the Church must continue to be the hope of the nation by the powerful weapons of the love and mercies of God, but God is also just (Psalm 89:14), and Pulpits across the country must sound alarm of the justice of God against all those who continue to defile the land of Ghana, making it an abomination.
In the words of Apostle Eric Nyamekye, Chairman of the Church of Pentecost and Guest Speaker at the Opening Service of the General Council on Friday, 21st October, 2022, “the Church owes no one an apology to pray over the defiled land and abominable heritage because that is our major contribution to the problem as a key stakeholder. ”
He said that “If truly those who handle the law in this country know the Lord, we would not be in our current predicament”.
“ God is a righteous judge, and we wish to caution those engaged in the galamsey menace to halt operations because God’s hand of judgement is already stretched against perpetrators of the evil unless they repent. We advise that they consider joining the Small Scale Miners Association to be regulated.
“ we extend a clarion call to government to take immediate steps to engage
stakeholder in charting a new path of progress in the fight against galamsey”.
By Castro Zangina-Tong
Ghana’s First Lady, Lordina Mahama, has made a generous donation to the country’s national female Under-17 and Under-20 teams – Black Maidens and Black Princesses- as they continue preparations for major international assignments.
The donation, made on Friday, May 22, was presented on behalf of the First Lady by the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, at the GFA Technical Centre in Prampram.
The gesture forms part of efforts to motivate and support Ghana’s young female footballers as they prepare to represent the country on the international stage.
The donation included essential food items and toiletries aimed at supporting the welfare and well-being of the players and technical teams.
The donation included cartons of Milo, T-rolls, soft drinks, toiletries, and a range of essential supplies aimed at supporting the welfare of the players, enhancing camp conditions, and easing preparations ahead of their respective assignments.
The Black Maidens are currently engaged in preparations for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers and are set to take on Liberia women’s national under-17 football team in the second-leg encounter in Liberia this weekend.
Meanwhile, the Black Princesses have already secured qualification to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after overcoming Uganda in the qualifiers, extending Ghana’s remarkable record to eight consecutive appearances at the tournament.
The donation by the First Lady was expected to boost morale within both camps while reinforcing national support for the young female footballers who continue to make the country proud.
The prosecution has officially rested its case in The Republic v Solomon Asamoah & Another, the high-profile legal battle commonly referred to as the “Sky Train” case.
The Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai announced the development, praising the state’s team of hard-working prosecutors for successfully anchoring the state’s evidence before the High Court.
The criminal trial centers on the former Chief Executive Officer and the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).
The duo stands accused of illegally authorizing and paying out US$2 million to a foreign company without obtaining board directives or other mandatory statutory approvals.
State investigators have confirmed that the disbursed millions cannot be found.
Following the closure of the prosecution’s case, the accused persons moved the court for an opportunity to file a submission of no case.
The presiding judge granted the application, ordering the defense to submit their arguments by June 8.
The outcome of the June 8 filings will decide the fate of the trial:
With this, if the judge finds the defense’s submission convincing, the accused will be acquitted and discharged however, If the judge dismisses the submission, the court will order the accused officials to take the stand and explain why they should not face prison sentences.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
