The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Free Zones Authority, Mary Awusi, has issued a strong response to the Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, over his recent remarks on illegal mining.
Speaking at the Church’s 48th General Conference during the State of the Church Address, Apostle Nyamekye outlined key challenges, progress and ongoing interventions within the denomination.
He noted that galamsey was affecting baptism rites, explaining that polluted rivers had made traditional water-based baptisms difficult in some areas, necessitating a shift to synthetic rubber pools.
Reacting to this on Accra FM, Dr Awusi said she initially held back out of respect for his position as a religious leader but cautioned against what she described as politically toned commentary.
“He’s a man of God, so we’ll forgive him. But next time, he shouldn’t stoop so low to that level. If he descends to that level to behave like a politician, we will deal with him as a politician,” she said.
Dr Awusi argued that such comments risk entering political territory and should be handled with caution.
“It’s not about anointing. If he were that anointed, he wouldn’t speak in this manner,” she said when the issue of his spiritual standing was raised during the interview.
She also questioned the consistency of concerns raised about galamsey across different administrations.
“What he said is a highly political statement. When Nana Addo was in office, many communities in the mining areas had their water looking very thick and brown. Was he not in Ghana? Did he see it or not?” she asked.
“Today, after John Mahama came to power, due to the measures he has put in place, the rivers are flowing, so you cannot claim that you’ve seen no difference in the state of the water. During Akufo-Addo’s time, the rivers were not flowing at all,” she claimed.
She ended with a caution, urging the Church leader to remain focused on his pastoral role.
“So, if you’re a reverend minister and you bypass the truth by taking off your pastoral robe and putting on political clothes and a political lens to speak, the next time we’ll treat him as a politician. This time we’ll spare him. We beg of him to focus on his pastoral work,” she said.
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