At the diamond jubilee parade marking the 60th independence day of Ghana, the President of the Republic, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo charged Ghanaians to do more in the fight against the activities that destroy our environment.
He preached against the things that expose us to dangers in our water bodies, on the land and in the air especially illegal mining popular referred to as ‘galamsey’.
In his powerfully delivered speech, the president among other things said; “It is turning out to be a constant refrain, I know, but, on a day like this, we cannot ignore the state of our environment. We are endangering the very survival of the beautiful and blessed land that our forebears bequeathed to us. The dense forests that were home to varied trees, plants and fauna have been largely wiped out. Today, we import timber for our use, and the description of our land as a tropical forest no longer fits the reality. Our rivers and lakes are disappearing, and those that still exist are all polluted.
It bears repeating that we do not own the land, but hold it in trust for generations yet unborn. We have a right to exploit the bounties of the earth and extract the minerals and even redirect the path of the rivers, but we do not have the right to denude the land of the plants and fauna nor poison the rivers and lakes.
There is nothing we can do better to pay homage to those who fought to free us from bondage than to dedicate this 60th independence anniversary to protecting our environment, and regenerating the lands and water bodies.”
Urging the Ghanaian to be confident and optimistic in the his/her capacity to turn things around, the s eptuagenarian President, the only we have had since independence ended his speech with a strong admonishing thus “I am confident that we can achieve the dreams of our forebears. I am hopeful that we will be worthy inheritors of this land. I urge that we wear the accolade of being a Ghanaian with pride.
Let us mobilise for the happy and prosperous Ghana of tomorrow, in which all of us, including our youth, our women and the vulnerable in our society, will have equal opportunities to realise our potential, and build lives of dignity. Then, our independence will be meaningful. Then, we will have a Ghana beyond aid.
Two months ago at my inauguration on these grounds, I demanded that we renew the sacred compact that comes with being able to call yourself a Ghanaian citizen. I am proud that I am able to say without equivocation today: I am a Ghanaian citizen.
I wish you all a happy Diamond Jubilee anniversary and God’s blessings.
May the Almighty bless our homeland Ghana and make her great and strong.”
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