Former moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana Professor Emmanuel Martey has said illegal mining blossomed under former President John Mahama.

According to the outspoken cleric, even though the former President assured him of steps his government was taking to address the menace, it yielded no fruits in the years that he remained President of Ghana.

The Akufo-Addo government has launched a nationwide campaign against galamsey, an activity which is fast degrading water bodies and lands in the country.

Chinese nationals have been at the forefront of the illegal practice. A forty-day grace period given the illegal mining operators to leave their mining concessions has expired and government has zoomed into action arresting recalcitrants.

Currently, an alleged influential illegal miner Aisha Huang is in custody facing charges over her mining activities in Ghana, particularly in the Ashanti region.

Commenting on the menace, reverend Martey told journalists at an event in Koforidua Monday that the government can address the problem if they are committed enough.

“It is too early to say that the present administration is not doing well. In fact it because they have come and thanks to the media everybody knows that galamsey is a necessary evil which ought to be eliminated.

“I don’t want to go into politics but it was in Mahama’s administration that this thing became worst, I met Mahama we sat down and I complained about this galamsey, he told me that he was able to identify the Ghanaian who was bringing the Chinese to Ghana so they will deal with it. But rather things got worse so if the government will sit up and selflessly manage our country, this galamsey business will be solved,” the avowed Mahama critic said.