Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GCC), has called on citizens to rise up against the coming back of Agyapa royalties’ agreement. The coalition is of the view that the current state of the agreement is detrimental to the country sovereignty and dangerous for the management of minerals resources by this government and future governments.
According to the coalition, few politicians are rooting for the agreement to their advantage and to the disadvantage to the citizens and the country as a whole.
The GCC believes that the few greedy politicians pushing for agyapa are having their way because the anger and resistance Ghanaians shown when the communication ministry attempted to take some channels away from the state broadcaster GTV and the 7th parliament attempt to build new the chamber has not been shown on agyap.
The fight for the country and the state broadcaster then indicated that some citizens still have the country at heart and expect same to be repeated in agyapa which it said is shrouded with ambiguities and secrecy.
The country, according to the coalition stands greater chance to benefit if ordinary citizens, chiefs and opinion leaders are involved in knowing what exactly the Agyapa meant for Ghana’s future but not to only few elites.
Executive Director of GCC, Mrs Beauty Emefa Narteh made the call in Tamale during media engagement on agyapa as part of Alliance of CSOs working in extractives, Anti-corruption, Africa Center for Energy Policy (ACEP) and good governance in mobilizing local level support against Agyapa Agreement.
President Akufo-Addo during his last State of the Nation reignited the debate of Aygapa agreement when he said that his government will go back to engage parliament on the steps it intends to take on the future of the controversial agreement which was approved by parliament in August14, 2020 in spite of the minority NDC MPs walk out.
Mrs Emefa told journalists from Northern and Savannah regions that the anger demonstrated by Ghanaians since news broke about Agyapa agreement has not been like previous unfavorable decisions both the executives took without the citizens involvement.
While challenging journalists to used their platforms for the good of the country, she recognized that politicians are hijacking the media space too and are influencing some media practitioners to do their bidding, few principled journalists will still put Ghana first above anybody’s interest.
The coalition, Mrs Emefa assured will support few interested media practitioners to help educate citizens on the dangers associated with the agyapa agreement.
