The Member of Parliament for Akyem Oda and former Deputy Health Minister, Hon. Alexander Akwasi Acquah, has waded into the heated national discourse on illegal mining (galamsey), highlighting a spiritual crisis emerging from the environmental wreckage.
In a series of pointed Facebook posts, the MP argued that the devastation of water bodies in the country has reached a breaking point where the Church can no longer perform its most sacred rites in natural settings.
Hon. Acquah’s statements served as both a staunch defense of religious leadership and a stinging rebuke of civil society.
He praised Apostle Eric Nyamekye, Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, for his bravery in speaking out against environmental carnage.
The MP suggested that while many “neutrals” and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have gone silent implying their “mouths are full” Apostle Nyamekye remains a rare “voice of reasoning.”
”The fact that other Pastors have disappointed God and Ghanaians in general doesn’t mean we don’t have others who will stick to his conscience,” Acquah stated.
The MP’s argument centers on a visceral consequence of galamsey: the loss of “living water.”
He revealed that the Church of Pentecost has been forced to abandon traditional baptisms in natural rivers, which are now choked with toxic chemicals and silt.
Pastors are allegedly forced to use “make-shift means,” such as plastic tanks or treated pools, to baptize new souls.
While flowing water traditionally symbolizes purity and the Holy Spirit, galamsey has “devastated” this fundamental religious rite.
This follows Apostle Nyamekye’s State of the Church Address at the 48th General Conference on April 22, where he warned that polluted streams are disrupting church practices and destroying the livelihoods of members engaged in farming and fishing.
The MP also turned his sights on political heavyweights who hold high office within the Church of Pentecost.
He specifically challenged Hon. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, former Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim, Minister for Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development (and Religious Affairs) both prominent elders in the Church of Pentecost to defend their Chairman against public backlash.
Acquah pointedly noted that the current “assault” on Apostle Nyamekye falls squarely within the Local Government Minister’s domain.
He expressed a firm expectation for these leaders to break their silence and condemn verbal attacks from political actors, specifically mentioning Dr. Mary Awusi, CEO of the Ghana Free Zones Authority (GFZA).
This intervention by the Akyem Oda MP signals a deepening rift in the galamsey conversation.
As the environmental crisis begins to interfere with the spiritual life of one of the country’s largest denominations, the pressure on the government is shifting from a policy debate to an existential struggle for the nation’s soul.
By 1960news.com
