A former Central Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress, Allotey Jacobs, has expressed his frustration over the ongoing discussions against illegal mining and the calls for a ban on all related activities.

Appearing as a panelist on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, Allotey Jacobs accused Ghanaians of not supporting President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo when he said he had put his presidency on the line to fight against galamsey.

He said this fight contributed to his party losing a significant number of constituencies in the 2020 elections.

The politician asserted that certain individuals, particularly in the media, have created a narrative to mislead Ghanaians about the president’s fight against the galamsey menace.

“Nobody supported President Akufo-Addo when he said he would put his presidency on the line to fight galamsey. We did not support him, but today, the same media—what we now call the black media and the blue media— especially the black media are taking advantage of the situation to make it seem as if President Akufo-Addo did nothing.

“Some were laughing when he tried eradicating the menace through his appointees. He lost some of his constituencies because of galamsey,” he lamented.

Allotey Jacobs decried the hypocrisy of Ghanaians, alleging that the current outcry over the galamsey menace is merely propaganda, and questioned why organizations only seem to express agitation when elections are approaching.

“There’s so much hypocrisy in this country. People wait till the elections are approaching then they start having agitations and propaganda with political parties taking advantage of it. We are fooling Ghanaians and they are not seeing it,” he stressed.

MAG/AE