The Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, has warned that any district assembly persisting in collecting fees from illegal miners following the President’s order would be committing outright insubordination—a serious offense requiring firm action.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, April 4, Mr. Tamakloe praised Joy News for the investigation that first brought the matter to public attention.
“The truth of the matter is that we all appreciate the work that Joy FM and JoyNews did on this exposé. I personally had no idea any of these practices existed in those communities,” he stated, calling the revelations an urgent alert for both authorities and citizens. He noted that in certain instances, the fee-collection system had developed gradually within assemblies and was frequently handed down to incoming District Chief Executives (DCEs) as an income source.
“Usually, when a DCE takes over, they consult their predecessor on internal revenue streams. In some instances, the view was that you could derive revenue from persons holding concessions within the assembly. But what is significant is that immediately this came to the attention of the President, he directed investigations across all mining communities,” Mr. Tamakloe said.
He added that preliminary inquiries showed the practice was common, prompting a national order to stop it immediately.
Mr. Tamakloe emphasized that ignoring the directive would go beyond a simple administrative lapse—it would be an act of rebellion. “If after the President’s directive, the assemblies are still doing this, then it becomes an issue of defiance—and that is a grievous matter to be dealt with,” he cautioned. He also recalled the persistent efforts of anti-galamsey advocates such as Ken Ashigbey, noting that the government has moved to reinforce enforcement, including overhauling the National Mines Oversight Service (NAIMOS) and destroying over 500 pieces of illegal mining equipment so far.
