Firebrand politician and member of the governing New Patriotic Party(NPP) Communications Team, Solomon Owusu has called for the immediate arrest of the party’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako aka Chairman Wontumi for illegal mining.
Some personnel from the Forestry Commission were recently said to have been chased out from the Tano Nimiri forest reserve by some heavily built men allegedly working for Chairman Wontumi’s Akonta Mining Ltd.
Following the incident, Akonta Mining Ltd, said the company has a mining lease to operate in the forest reserve but the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Minerals Commission contradicted that view.
But the Minerals Commission of Ghana has reiterated that Akonta Mining Limited has no mining lease, mineral right, and/or permit to undertake any mining operations in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve or any other reserve.
A statement by the Minerals Commission indicated that “as indicated in the Ministry’s Press Statement. dated 30th September 2022, Akonta Mining Ltd has a pending application dated 25th August 2022 for a Mining Lease over an area within the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve. That application has not been determined by the Minister who is mandated by law to grant or refuse such applications.
Commenting on the issue on Ghana Kasa show on Kasapa 102.5FM/Agoo TV, Solomon Owusu said Chairman Wontumi must not be allowed to walk free as he’s apparently flouted the law by virtue of his company operating in the forest.
“Chairman Wontumi has to be arrested immediately, the Police do not need anybody’s permission to effect an arrest. If the Minerals Commission an institution mandated by the State to grant permits has stated that they’ve not granted Wontumi’s company a license to operate in the Forest, then what prevents the State from arresting him.”
He added: “…What is so difficult about arresting Chairman Wontumi? Let an individual be more powerful than the State and then there will be no nation. Once an individual becomes more powerful than the State the nation will collapse.”
Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has reiterated his commitment to working hand-in-hand with Chiefs, traditional rulers and all stakeholders in the fight against Galamsey.
According to President Akufo-Addo, “it is obvious that, if we are to win the fight, you and I have to take the lead to collaborate closely to do so. That is why I am here today.”
Addressing the National House of Chiefs on Wednesday, 5th October 2022, the President noted that eighty percent (80%) of the lands in Ghana continue to be under the custody of Chiefs, whereas the remainder of twenty percent (20%) is held in trust by the President.
What this means, he said is that, ultimately, the welfare of the state of the lands is the joint responsibility of Chiefs and the President, although, by statute, the minerals in the soil belong to the President in trust for the people.
“Historically, we discharged that responsibility well. Even though for centuries, we have been a mining nation, mining did not pose a threat to the health of our environment and water bodies. The rules that you put in place for mining ensured that the sanctity of our lands remained intact, and our water bodies remained unpolluted. Tragically, in the modern era, that is no longer the case. And that is why I have come to you today to talk about how, together, we can repair this dramatic situation,” he said.
Source: Kasapafmonline.com/102.5FM
