General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah (General Mosquito) has accused President Nana Akufo-Addo of being part of a scheme involved in galamsey activities. In an interview with Accra FM, he said the government ought to return to the drawing board to restrategize after arresting illegal miners but without an end to galamsey. He stated that the government may be arresting the wrong persons as they were mere labourers employed to work in galamsey pits by persons who were collaborating with government officials to perpetrate the menace. The NDC stalwart vying for the chairmanship position of the party believes arresting kingpins will curb the menace. “The government is not serious about fighting galamsey. If it was serious, he will start from his own people who are engaged in galamsey,” Asiedu Nketiah said in the October 13 interview. “Today, galamsey is a big-time business. People buy excavators and the government is aware of where it is sent. The government knows the owners but does not do anything to them but use the gun in arresting the unemployed village man who has heard that if he works in a galamsey pit he can earn money. Are you fighting galamsey? You are not,” he added. General Mosquito accused government officials of being the ring leaders and kingpins in galamsey activities questioning who the government was fighting in its renewed effort at combating the illicit activity. On why President Akufo-Addo has refused to reshuffle, Asiedu Nketiah said some leaders buy loyalty by allowing their officials to engage in corrupt activities. In so doing, the officials will be committed to ‘fighting for survival' as they will go to any length to protect the interest of the leader. The leader, Asiedu Nketiah stated, knows that once an official is sacked from the government, he or she will open up and spill the beans, consequently putting everyone in trouble. He further backed comments that President Akufo-Addo knows persons involved in galamsey activities but cannot “touch” them. “He is a shareholder in galamsey activities. Anas expose caught the one put in charge of Galamstop taskforce meant to clamp down on their activities that he was receiving monies and directing people on how to go about galamsey without getting caught. "It was like a scheme that as we have come, let us capture the commanding height of the economy. So if some people are able to amass wealth by galamsey, let us go and deceive Ghanaians that we are going cancel and put a ban on it. "While the ban is in force, we will be reorganizing by putting NPP members there and before we lift the ban, NPP members would have captured the galamsey sites. "They will publicly say galamsey should be stopped but their own people will be engaging in it and bringing the money. Party hia sika [Party needs money]. We all heard the tape. President Akufo-Addo cannot crack the whip because he is involved,” he said You can also watch this episode of People & Places on GhanaWeb TV: DS/PEN