Sam Dzata George has accused the Akufo-Addo government of throwing dust in the eyes of Ghanaians over the fight against galamsey menace.

The Ningo Prampram MP alluded that the havoc wrecked by the activities of illegal mining is real and former President John Mahama did not mince words in condemning it.

He faulted President Akufo-Addo for assuring mining communities that unlike John Mahama he would help them regularize activities of the small scale mining sector to their benefit.

In the legislator’s estimation, this was one of the myriad ‘false’ promises the incumbent used to wrestle power from the opposition NDC.

Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana, Sam George said, “The NPP having failed on its first promise to leave small scale miners alone, he now assured mining communities that they will create an alternative livelihood strategy for miners who were affected by the operations of the joint military task force in the fight against the illegal mining canker. But again this did not happen… This is a clear incident of “medofo a daadaa me.”

The Ningo Prampram MP bemoaned the political insincerity exhibited by the incumbent government stressing that, they was no plan for any alternative livelihood project for affected miners as was widely announced

“One would expect that there would be an allocation for ‘alternative livelihood’ plan in the budget. Did you see any amount set aside to cater for this in the budget? There is no such thing,” he fumed.

Meanwhile, Ashanti Regional Chairman for the ruling New Patriotic Party,NPP, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as chairman Wontumi has called on small scale miners affected by the government’s embargo on mining to try maize farming as an alternative means of livelihood.

According to him, the affected miners must not give up hope of surviving over the ban on mining.

Speaking to host of Abusua FM’s Sunday morning Church Bells, the vociferous politician was quoted to have said that, “Since President Mahama and his government destroyed my mining business, I have been into maize farming and I’m making a lot from farming…I’m prepared to introduce my fellow miners to the maize farming if only they will accept to do it.”

‘They shouldn’t think that mining is the only lucrative business, farming is another huge potential that people are failing to tap into.’

‘My brothers shouldn’t blame the government of rendering them jobless, if only they want to sustain their economic survival, they should contact me, I will be prepared to help them.’

‘We shouldn’t think that mining is the only big thing in Ghana and even talking about the embargo, I think it’s a good thing that the government is doing so that at least we can reclaim some of the lands we have lost to unacceptable mining practices in the country,’ he added.