The General Council meeting of the Full Gospel Church International (FGCI) has admitted the illegal mining menace has hit a crescendo.
According to the Council, there is the need for urgent multiple “stakeholder-solutions” to overturn the dire negative environmental consequences and associated degenerated livelihood of both present and future Ghanaians.
The church issued this statement on behalf of the members and delegates at its 21st session of the General Council Meeting 2022, which ended in Tema, Ghana, on Saturday, 22 October 2022.
The statement signed by Rt Rev Godwin Dela Fiagome, the President of FGCI said various organs of State, Ghanaians and the Church have failed to hold in high esteem, “our heritage won for us by letting the galamsey menace ravage our land, water bodies and livelihoods.”
Below is the church’s full statement issued on the galamsey menace:
21ST SESSION OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL MEETINGS 2022 PRESS RELEASE “THE LAND OF GHANA AND HERITAGE DEFILED, MADE ABOMINABLE”
▪ Damning Effects of the Galamsey Menace on Land, Water Bodies & Livelihood in Ghana This press statement is issued on behalf of the Members and Delegates of the Full Gospel Church International’s 21st Session of the General Council Meetings 2022, which ended in Tema, Ghana on Saturday, 22nd October, 2022.
It is the collective voice of the Church on the menace of Galamsey and its devastating effects on land, water bodies and livelihood in Ghana.
“I brought you into a bountiful country, to eat its fruit and its goodness. But when you entered, you defiled my land. And made my heritage an abomination. The priests did not say, ‘where is the LORD?’ And those who handle the law did not know Me; the rulers also transgressed against Me; the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit. Therefore I will yet bring charges against you,” says the LORD, “And against your children’s children I will bring charges” – Jeremiah 2:7-9 (NKJV)
The Galamsey menace has been topical over the years, and we insist that it is a multiple-stakeholder caused albatross the nation has been grappling with.
It has now hit a crescendo, and urgent multiple stakeholder-solutions are needed to overturn the already derailed negative environmental consequences and associated degenerated livelihood of both present and future Ghanaians.
Various organs of State, Ghanaians and the Church have failed to hold in high esteem, our heritage won for us by letting the Galamsey menace ravage our land, water bodies and livelihoods. It is sad that our nation is reeling under the after-effects of this menace.
– Things Fall Apart for our Bountiful Country, Ghana Ghana, our coveted “Gold Coast” and pacesetter in the West African sub-region and beyond on national development, sovereignty and socioeconomic living has become a pale shadow of itself.
The once-blessed land is now defiled with illegal mining of our mineral resources which is buried underneath the land for which God gifted us for our collective prosperity.
Our arable land is gifted to produce fruits and goodness to citizens, but has unfortunately become an abomination in the sight of the Creator because the machines and chemicals have defiled and made it unproductive.
The chemicals have dripped into our water bodies over time, making them dangerous to human and animal life.
How did we get here? From the Executive to Legislature, the Judiciary, the Security agencies and the Pulpit to the ordinary Ghanaian, we have sold our birthright in the Galamsey debacle, and we must be ready to undo the negative long-term effects going forward.
The Water Resources Commission of Ghana (2021), states “the acceptable turbidity value for drinking water is 5 Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU), while values of 80-150 NTU are acceptable for other water uses as appropriate” Unfortunately, the Commission’s sampled NTU levels for rivers in illegal mining areas as of February 2021, are as follows: the Ankobrah (highest of 24,250 NTU) the Pra (highest of 7,500 NTU), the Birim (highest of 14,800 NTU), the Tano (highest of 850 NTU).
It is likely latest updates indicate a degeneration.
i. The Priests did not say, “Where is the Lord?” Our General Council has resolved that the Church must continue to be the hope of the nation by the powerful weapons of the love and mercies of God, but God is also just (Psalm 89:14), and Pulpits across the country must sound alarm of the justice of God against all those who continue to defile the land of Ghana, making it an abomination.
ii. In the words of Apostle Eric Nyamekye, Chairman of the Church of Pentecost and Guest Speaker at the opening Service of the General Council on Friday, 21st October, 2022, the Church owes no one an apology to pray over the defiled land and abominable heritage because that is our major contribution to the problem as a key stakeholder. ii. “…those who handle the law did not know Me…”
iii. If truly those who handle the law in this country know the Lord, we would not be in our current predicament. Daniel 3:32 is very emphatic in this regard –“And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries; but the people who do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits”
iv. May the Judiciary truly know the Lord, to be strong in standing by the law without fear or favour to administer justice.
v. iii. “the rulers also transgressed against Me” The ruling class of the nation: the Executive, Legislature, traditional and chieftaincy leadership are called upon to repent from their transgressions of putting personal interest at the expense of the nation and her citizens. It is time to repent in humility and turn to God for His mercy, and for the healing of our defiled and abominable land (2 Chronicles 7:14). iv. “the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit” We acknowledge the recent visit of the joint team of ecumenical bodies in Ghana (God-sent prophets) to the illegal mining sites for first-hand information, and the prayer offered for the mercies of God over Ghana. v. “…bring charges against you…and your children’s children…” God is a righteous judge, and by this release, we wish to caution those engaged in the Galamsey menace to halt operations because God’s hand of judgment is already stretched against perpetrators of the evil unless they repent. We advise that they consider joining the Small Scale Miners Association to be regulated. In conclusion, we extend a clarion call to government to take immediate steps to engage stakeholder in charting a new path of progress in the fight against Galamsey. Long live Ghana, long live the Full Gospel Church International (FGCI), the General Council of FGCI and our National Executive Council (NEC).
Source: classfmonline.com