Rev John Ntim Fordjour, a member of Parliament for Assin South, has blown an alarm on the river guards deployed by the government to blow whistles on illegal miners commonly known as galamseyers.
According to Ntim Fordjour, the River guards have now turned themselves into TikTok content creators.
He emphasised that the government, instead of deploying the Police and Military, are sending River guards who are now creating content on TikTok.
He further alleged that illegal mining is now a criminal enterprise with apparatchiks of the NDC.
Ntim Fordjour noted that NDC MPs who went around fetching bottles of water from various rivers today cannot go and fetch them because they will have to use shovels.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on July 30, 2025, Ntim Fordjour stated, “… Today, galamsey has evolved from being an environmental threat into a criminal enterprise with apparatchiks of the ruling government NDC scrambling for sites,” he said.
“Mr Speaker, galamsey, which our brothers on the other side went around various rivers and fetched water in bottles. Today, they are not able to go and fetch bottles because of the turbidity of those rivers; they may have to use a shovel to fetch the water and put in the caps,” he asserted.
He added, “And yet, when the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Armed Forces were asking for adequate budgetary allocation to be able to go and fight head-on, they rather chose to starve the Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana Police Service, and to appoint river guards.
“River guards with no weapons, always doing all kinds of content on TikTok. That is the result of this government, and that is an indication of their lack of commitment in addressing this matter,” he said.
The John Mahama government deployed some 456 Blue River Guards, specially trained by the Ghana Navy.
According to reports, the Blue Water Guards are to protect and monitor water bodies in mining areas affected by illegal mining activities.
The Land Minister revealed the River Guards are going to be the ears and eyes of the Security Forces.
Meanwhile, the NPP MPs, a week ago, walked out of the 2025 Mid-Year Budget Review in parliament to go and present a petition to the presidency on the menace of illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.
The NPP’s petition focus is the escalating galamsey crisis, which the Minority describes as an ecological emergency and a national betrayal.
The Caucus cited data from A Rocha Ghana and Global Forest Watch showing a 17% increase in river turbidity and a 9% loss in forest cover in just six months.
They named the rivers Pra, Offin, Ankobra, and Birim as being under serious threat.
The NPP MPs also accused government and NDC officials of complicity, alleging an agreement between District Chief Executives, security officers, and illegal miners.
They are demanding:
“A State of Emergency in all illegal mining zones
A repeal of Legislative Instrument 2462, which they say enables illegal mining
Swift prosecution of all public officials found complicit
The formation of an independent national oversight body involving civil society, traditional leaders, and religious groups
The launch of a National Environmental Recovery Programme, focused on afforestation and river restoration”.
Watch the video below:
