A scene from the anti-galamsey vigil
Members of the #FixtheCountry movement outrightly rejected a plea by Mustapha Foyo Gbande, the Deputy Director of Operations at the Presidency, to stop their ongoing protest against the menace of illegal mining (galamsey).
Mustapha Gbande engaged the demonstrators, who were holding a vigil right in front of the Jubilee House as part of their 2-day protest, urging them to stop their demonstration and engage the government, citing security concerns.
He explained that President John Dramani Mahama, who is in the United States for the 80th United Nations General Assembly, was out of the country and therefore appealed to the protestors to put a stop to their actions and engage the government.
He suggested that the leaders of the movement would be given the opportunity to meet the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, to learn about the measures and policies the government has in place to fight galamsey so they can hold it accountable.
But the protestors flatly rejected the plea of the Deputy Director of Operations, insisting that their ‘peaceful’ protest does not pose any security threat.
Some of the demonstrators could be heard saying, “Please, leave us and let us have our peaceful demonstration.”
Others could be heard hooting at Gbande and his team, shouting, “Away, Away, Away!”
The #FixtheCountry movement announced a two-day protest to demand urgent action against the environmental devastation caused by illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
The group, led by Convenor Oliver Barker-Vormawor, will hold a vigil on Sunday, September 21, at Revolution Square in Accra, followed by a public march on Monday, September 22, a national holiday.
In a statement shared on X, Barker-Vormawor emphasised the critical need for collective action to address the ongoing environmental crisis.
He described the fight against galamsey as a “divine assignment” that transcends partisan politics and urged Ghanaians from all walks of life to join the movement in safeguarding the nation’s natural resources.
“The responsibility to protect and preserve the environment is, by divine assignment, ours as a people. Our responsibility to end galamsey does not end at elections, nor does it begin after our party loses one. This is bigger than petty politics,” he wrote.
Watch a video of the incident below:
#FixTheCountry activists have rejected calls to suspend their vigil, hooting at Deputy Director of Operations at the Presidency, Mustapha Gbande, and asking him to leave the grounds so they could proceed with their anti-galamsey demonstration.#CitiNewsroom pic.twitter.com/dnXywI2CgG
— CITI FM 97.3 (@Citi973) September 21, 2025
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