A contentious debate in Parliament on Tuesday stalled the introduction of Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462, which seeks to revoke the President’s authority to approve mining in forest reserves. The impasse arose as lawmakers from both sides clashed over procedural requirements for presenting the instrument.
Despite Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Murtala, Minister for Environment, Science, and Technology, being prepared to present the L.I., opposition from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority Caucus led to a temporary halt. The Minority insisted that the L.I. must undergo a pre-laying process before its formal introduction.
Minority Leader Mr. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin argued that parliamentary rules must be followed, stressing the importance of proper scrutiny before the L.I. is laid.
“Mr. Speaker, I shall pray you to place the application on ice for now and rather direct that the Minister goes through what has become a pre-laying ritual so that after that the laying is done,” he stated.
Backing this position, Mr. Samuel Abu Jinapor, former Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, called for a thorough and in-depth discussion before passing the L.I., highlighting the widespread nature of mining in forest reserves and the potential implications of revoking the President’s discretionary power in granting mining rights.
“As we speak today, mining is happening in almost all the forest reserves of this country. We must ensure that this is formulated in a way that truly removes the President’s discretionary powers without creating unintended legal or environmental challenges,” Jinapor emphasized.
On the other hand, the Majority Caucus contended that further delays would hinder urgent measures needed to curb illegal mining, known as galamsey, which has led to severe environmental degradation.
Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga argued that consensus had already been reached on the need for the L.I., making additional procedural steps unnecessary.
Supporting this stance, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu described illegal mining as a national emergency, urging Parliament to act swiftly to mitigate its devastating effects.
Following the heated debate, First Deputy Speaker Mr. Bernard Ahiafor, who presided over the proceedings, ruled that a three-day pre-laying process be conducted to allow for further examination.
The Subsidiary Legislation Committee has been tasked with reviewing the proposed L.I. and reporting back to Parliament by Thursday, March 20.
With the fight against illegal mining at stake, all eyes are now on whether Parliament will expedite the process or if further political disagreements will delay a decision that could reshape the country’s environmental governance.
