Former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Inusah Fuseini has dispelled claims that the erstwhile Mahama administration was not committed to the fight against illegal mining also known as galamsey.

Following president Akufo-Addo’s fierce fight against the ploughing of lands illegally, many Ghanaians have commended the NPP-led government for combating the menace than the previous NDC administration.

But Inusah Fuseini, who is the member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale Central has downplayed such claims, saying the past government took drastic measures to suppress galamsey activities.

Speaking to Kaakyire Kwesi Appea-Apraku, host of Dwaboase on Power 97.9 FM on Tuesday, the former minister disclosed that his outfit deported over five thousand (5,000) foreign nationals, including Chinese, for mining without the required permit.

“For the first time in the history of this country, I deported more than five thousand foreigners who were engaging in illegal mining and more than one hundred and sixty West Africans…If you go to the Immigration Service, the records are there. we couldn’t finish but that was the beginning,” he disclosed.

Mr Fuseini said the fight against the menace by the erstwhile government was yielding results until they were voted out of power in 2016.

Asked why the deportation did not make headlines, he said it did not happen in a day.

Explaining further, the former minister of Roads and Highways noted that he even chaired the committee then-president John Mahama set up to control illegal mining in the country.

“In his first state of the nation address, President John Mahama told the people of Ghana that he will set a committee to clean the small-scale mining sector off illegalities. And true to his word he formed the committee. I was the chairman of that committee,” he added.

He went on to state that the NDC led government started the fight against illegal mining before the New Patriotic Party (NPP) assumed office, stressing that the government’s taskforce burnt equipment of some illegal miners.

“We have some of it [NPP’s] members now to claim that in our fight to clean the small-scale mining sector, we burned their equipment. I have heard that this government has begun compensating some of those people. I have heard and I have seen it,” he disclosed.