Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, a founding member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has called for the immediate declaration of a state of emergency in all areas affected by illegal mining, asserting that only a military-led crackdown can put an end to the persistent galamsey menace.
Speaking with firm conviction, Dr. Tamakloe claimed that the real forces behind the country’s environmental destruction are well-known but remain untouched due to what he described as systemic political cowardice and selective enforcement.
“The people really destroying this country are the kingpins and they know them. Why they can’t go after them is a big problem. The ordinary person in the village cannot afford an excavator. Do you know the price of one excavator?”
Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, Founding Member Of The NPP
In his scathing assessment, he argued that since the continued devastation of water bodies and forest reserves across the country is not being carried out by poor villagers, but by powerful figures who are insulated from accountability, drastic measures must be employed in the good fight.
“Those who bring in the excavators are those they should hold responsible,” he said, placing the blame squarely at the feet of the National Security establishment.
“For 8 years plus, we have had a National Security who were just chasing citizens when this is their work,” he added, accusing the state agency of misdirected focus under the previous government, which has allowed things escalate to the extremes being experienced today.
Dr. Tamakloe’s most urgent recommendation was for the government of the day to “declare a state of emergency” in all illegal mining zones. According to him, without such a move, efforts to curb the crisis will remain superficial and highly ineffective.
He stressed that the declaration must be accompanied by full military deployment to flush out entrenched actors from these territories. “Get the soldiers involved” he said “Put two battalions there because two battalions will stop this.”
Dr. Tamakloe noted that this proposal was not new, stating he had made a similar recommendation over a year ago, which was ignored. He reiterated that infantry battalions positioned across known galamsey areas would quickly restore order and disrupt the illegal operations that have proved resilient to civil interventions.
Controversy Over Military Involvement
Speaking on whether the involvement of soldiers, who are trained to kill, would lead to avoidable casualties, Dr. Tamakloe did not shy away from the implication. He pointed to the long-standing harm caused by illegal mining to justify any tough action required.
“Those in the villages or those kingpins who are making their money through them, have all killed a lot of innocent people through their activities. A lot of people have been killed. What do you think about that?”
“The work of a soldier is to act on orders. If killing is what will solve the problem, they will kill. All you have to tell them is to flush out anything you see in the forest and galamsey sites”
Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, Founding Member Of The NPP
For him, soldiers deployed to destructive galamsey sites should be given a mandate clear enough to neutralize the crisis decisively – because illegal mining continues to pose one of the most urgent threats to Ghana’s environmental stability and public health.
Despite years of government promises, policy frameworks, and occasional task force deployments, rivers remain contaminated with mercury and sediment, lands have been stripped of vegetation, and communities complain of lost livelihoods and worsening poverty.
Dr. Tamakloe charged that galamsey was not only an environmental issue but as a national security threat and warned that the crisis will never be solved without bold and forceful action, especially by the new government.
With his military background and long-standing involvement in Ghana’s political evolution, his prescription for restoring order is stark: emergency powers, infantry deployment, and zero tolerance for those shielding the illegal mining economy.
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