John Mahama’s Promise To Free Jailed Small Scale Miners Embarrassing - Deputy Minister

A Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Benito Owusu Bio has described National Democratic Congress flagbearer John Mahama’s promise to release all jailed illegal miners as reprehensible. John Mahama

at a rally in the Mpohor Constituency in the Western Region on Thursday, October 22 2020 promised to grant amnesty to all small scale miners imprisoned under the Nana Addo led administration if he wins the December

7 presidential election. Speaking to the media on the matter, Mr. Owusu Bio said such promises should be disregarded. “It's an embarrassment because of the person this particular promise is coming from. He is promising heaven and earth currently. I know that he

will not even win the election. He's promising something that he cannot do. He should tell us how many people have been put behind bars.” “Even when we increased the punitive measures, no one was jailed. So I am surprised about what he is talking about. Let him come out and tell us the number of people that were jailed. He is just promising and lying to appeal to the public for votes,” he added.

I’ll free small scale miners jailed under Akufo-Addo over galamsey - Mahama

Former President John Mahama says he will grant amnesty to all small scale miners imprisoned under the President Addo Addo led government at the peak of the galamsey fight, if he wins the December 7 presidential

election. He told the chiefs and people at Mpohor on Thursday that: “It’s sad. The government said it was fighting galamsey, and they arrested, prosecuted, and jailed Ghanaians who were engaged in that activity but left the Chinese woman [Aisha Huang].”