Richard Ahiagbah is the Director of Communication for the New Patriotic Party
Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has criticised President John Dramani Mahama over his handling of the fight against illegal mining, known as galamsey.
Speaking on Citi FM’s The Big Issue on Saturday, September 13, 2025, Ahiagbah accused the President of lacking the political will to confront the menace, describing his recent comments on the subject as vague and ineffective.
“Now President Mahama tells us that the state of emergency is not what we need, but somehow there are laws on the books that we have not exhausted, that we have not exercised. I was left wondering, what are those laws?” he said.
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Ahiagbah argued that the state had already applied all available legal measures, including arrests and confiscations, in its anti-galamsey efforts, and challenged the President to identify the specific provisions he claimed remained unused.
“Everything has been done. So, the question is, what law is President Mahama talking about on the books that has not been exercised? If there are any, why is he not using them? What is he waiting for?” Ahiagbah asked.
Pressed further on the President’s approach, the NPP spokesperson replied bluntly, “Lack of interest in fighting the thing. Lack of interest.”
His comments were in reaction to President Mahama’s explanation at a media encounter on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, that he was reluctant to declare a state of emergency over galamsey because existing laws already gave the government enough powers to act.
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“We have the opportunity to arrest anybody, to confiscate any such thing. The laws for forest protection and all that give us enough powers to be able to act,” the President said.
MRA/MA
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