Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah, the host of Angel FM’s morning show, has commended ace broadcaster Kwami Sefa Kayi for his advocacy against the illegal mining menace, widely known as galamsey.

Okatakyie holds that Sefa Kayi made a good call by using his Kokrokoo platform to campaign against the canker which has devastated some forests and river bodies in the country.

Afrifa-Mensah, however, is unhappy with what he claims to be a display of hypocrisy on the part of Kwami Sefa Kayi, as he believes the host of Peace FM’s morning show is not directing his advocacy where he (Kwame Afrifa) believes he (Kwami Sefa Kayi) should.

He alleges that the kingpins in the galamsey sector are regular pundits on Sefa Kayi’s show and that instead of generalizing the issues, Sefa Kayi should be bold enough to call out these persons when they appear on his show.

Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah claims that Sefa Kayi has relationships with some of the powerful persons involved in the menace and that he should mention their names and urge them to stop.

“I have seen the comments by Kwami Sefa Kayi and I believe it's a good call. However, it is high time the senior journalists in this country stop the hypocrisy. I like Kwami Sefa Kayi, but the hypocrisy needs to end.

“All the big names in the galamsey canker appear on his show every morning. He hosts those people every morning. He knows them, so why can't he tell them to their faces? There are journalists and politicians involved, and he knows them.

“We all respect him, but the hypocrisy must stop. If he knows that galamsey is bad, then he should be honest enough to name the people involved. So when they come on his show, he should tell them. He is friends with all the people involved,” he said on Angel FM.

Okatakyie’s claim comes on the back of Sefa Kayi’s caution that the nation risks raising rebels if the galamsey canker is not stemmed immediately.

"You know what I fear? Do you know that we are creating a rebel armed force? We are creating rebels out of this (galamsey). So let’s say about four hundred people are wielding 100 guns; these galamseyers are armed. So, bit by bit, by the time we realize, they’ve turned into what is known as a ragtag army, who are soldiers not properly trained but are armed and know how to fire rifles.

"If they decide that they will block the Accra-Kumasi highway, they can do that easily. That is the problem we are faced with. When it comes to the issue of security, I have an interest. If these galamseyers, about 300 of them, decide to block that very important road, what will we do? By the time security personnel are deployed to that area, they will have finished their operation long ago," Sefa Kayi stated.

EK