Eric Abavare, President of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology chapter of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), has maintained his recent statement referring to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as a “joker” in the battle against illegal mining, also known as galamsey.
During an interview on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on Saturday, October 12, Prof. Abavare stood by his remarks. Abavare criticized the president’s handling of the galamsey issue, sparking dissatisfaction from Enoch Afoakwa, a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) communications team, who expressed discontent with the description.
Abavare informed host Selorm Adonoo that he unequivocally stands by his statement, stating that he made the declaration intentionally and with confidence. He reaffirmed his opinion that the government’s actions against illegal mining have not yielded results, and he expressed no remorse for his language choice. “My colleague Enoch mentioned that I used a term to describe the president which made him uneasy.” I want him to understand that I want my government to succeed.
I desire the success of my country, which is intricately tied to the success of my government. Therefore, I maintain that the president is frivolous. Using the analogy of grading, if less than 1 percent of destroyed lands have been reclaimed according to the environmental audit report, this would equate to failure if less than 50 percent. Considering this, describing the president as a joker for his negligible performance in land reclamation is justified.
