The National Coordinator for the District Roads Improvement Programme (DRIP), Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, has said President John Dramani Mahama’s recent comments on illegal mining (galamsey) unsettled sections of the public.
At the Presidential Media Encounter on September 10, 2025, journalists asked the president whether he would declare a state of emergency in response to the environmental devastation caused by galamsey.
President Mahama replied that government had not yet exhausted all legal avenues and that declaring a state of emergency would be a last resort.
“The only response that disappointed people was the president’s on galamsey. Many came expecting him to declare a state of emergency. But judging from media commentary and public reactions, that was the one response most people were unhappy about,” Mr. Vanderpuye said on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Thursday, September 11.
He admitted that many citizens had anticipated a tougher stance. Nonetheless, he defended the president’s remarks as measured and thoughtful.
“He handled it intelligently. He made it clear that a state of emergency remains an option, but only after exhausting the legal avenues available to him as head of state. And we have not yet exhausted those options—there are still many to pursue,” he explained.
Mr. Vanderpuye further stressed that the fight against illegal mining should be viewed as a gradual process, not an overnight fix.
“I never believed the fight against galamsey would be an event; it is a process. There are several interventions in place, such as the Blue Water Guards. These show that there is a plan, but the results people expect have not yet materialised,” he added.
Source: Myjoyonline
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