A heated debate erupted in Parliament today over the laying of Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462, which seeks to repeal the President’s power to grant permission for mining in forest reserves.
The Minister for Environment, Science, and Technology, Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Murtala, was set to lay the instrument before the House, but the process was halted following disagreements between the Majority and Minority caucuses over procedural requirements.
The L.I. 2462, if passed, would strip the President of the authority to issue licenses for mining activities in forest reserves, a move aimed at curbing illegal small-scale mining, commonly known as galamsey.
However, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin argued that the L.I. must undergo a pre-laying process before being formally laid before Parliament.
Voice of Alexander Afenyo-Markin
Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga countered this position, stating that the L.I. is a straightforward, one-clause instrument that has already garnered consensus.
He argued that “This was a major promise of President John Dramani Mahama and the government, and today, we are seeing the implementation of a major promise aimed at dealing with the issue of galamsey in our forest reserves.”
“We are taking away the discretion of the President to grant permission for concessions to be given for mining to take place in foreign reserves, and that is what this regulation is all about. The minister is ready. The instrument is in the house, and we want to lay it.”
He stressed that the repeal is a critical step in addressing the environmental degradation caused by illegal mining and that further delays would undermine efforts to combat the crisis.
Voice of Mahama Ayariga
After extensive deliberations, First Deputy Speaker Bernard Ahiafor ruled that a pre-laying process of three days must be observed.
He also directed the Subsidiary Legislation Committee of Parliament to review the L.I. and report back to the House by Thursday, March 20.
As a result, the laying of L.I. 2462 was temporarily blocked.
The Deputy Speaker cautioned that if the Subsidiary Legislation Committee fails to complete its work by the stipulated deadline, he would allow the L.I. to be laid without further delay.
Voice of Bernard Ahiafor
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