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The former moderator of the Presbyterian Church, Very Reverend Prof. Emmanuel Martey says some appointees of President Akufo-Addo are corrupt hence are wrong choices to serve in government.

Speaking to journalists in the Eastern Region on the sidelines of the commissioning of C4C homeopathic center, he said, the “NPP also has bad elements.”

“Even some of their appointees are not correct…they are corrupt,” he added.

Prof. Martey who has in the last few years been vociferous in chastising the erstwhile John Mahama government said the new government of Nana Akufo-Addo has also made the mistake of appointing some corrupt people.

On the issue of illegal small-scale mining, Prof. Martey said the menace was allowed to thrive under the former government.

According to him, John Mahama had identified the problem but failed to address it.

“I don’t want to go into politics but it was in Mahama’s administration that this thing [galamsey] became worse. I met Mahama, we sat down and I complained about this galamsey. He told me that he was able to identify the Ghanaian who was bringing the Chinese to Ghana so they will deal with it.

But rather, things got worse, so if the government will sit up and selflessly manage our country, this galamsey business will be solved,” Prof. Martey said.

While commending the government for its resolve to address the illegal activity popularly known as galamsey, he acknowledged the role of the media in sensitizing the public to speak against the menace.

“It is too early to say that the present administration is not doing well. In fact it is because they have come, and thanks to the media everybody knows that galamsey is a necessary evil which ought to be eliminated,” Prof. Martey said.

The government is stepping up its effort in the fight against illegal mining in the country following major concerns against the menace, raised by various Civil Society groups and the media.

Citi FM has been at the forefront of media advocacy and crusade for action against the illegal activity.

The station among other things petitioned Parliament to act to stop the menace. The efforts have yielded some positive results including a moratorium on the issuance of new licenses for small-scale mining.

The government has said it is focused on ensuring that the menace is fully addressed the sector properly fragmented to ensure that mining in the country is done in accordance with the law.