A group calling itself the concerned youth of Akyem-Awaham, a farming community in the Lower West Akim Municipality of the Eastern Region has staged a protest against their chief, and the MCE for allowing illegal mining activities to take place in the area.
According to the youth, the mining activities ongoing in the area are destroying their water bodies hence calling on the appropriate authorities to intervene before they chase the miners out of the community.
The concerned youth close to 100 who were in red bands on Sunday afternoon, stormed the community river bank to pour libations by calling on the ancestors to deal with whoever is destroying the river.
Chief
They accused their chief, Barima Pobi Asomaning II, and the area Municipal Chief Executive Officer, Seth Oduro of allegedly giving their farmlands to some miners who are illegally mining and destroying the community main stream in the name of community mining.
The group leader, Archibald Ntiri Acquah who led the media to the mining site said “illegal miners popularly known as galamseyers have invaded our town with over 20 to 30 excavators and are destroying our God-given vegetation with impunity”.
According to him “These galamseyers are digging everywhere and clearing everything and anything that stand in their way including trees that have taken centuries to grow, water bodies, we gestation and even landlords who dare to stand in their way”.
He stated that “When leaders of our group heard that galamsey activities were going on in our town, I as the Executive Director for the group called the Chief of the town Nana Pobi Asomaning”
“The Chief told me that what is happening here is under the government of Ghana programme called Community Mining. I asked if he is sure of what he is saying which he responded in the affirmative and went ahead to say a company has been formed under the community mining called Bugodon 2 and they are those responsible for the Community Mining” he stated.
He lamented “Our checks from the Minerals Commission in Accra and from the Eastern Regional Director of the Mineral Commission in Koforidua, Joshua Quaye all point to the fact that that assertion by the Chief of the town that the government of Ghana community mining program is been done in our town is force. Again the Chief has publicly declared that he takes money from the illegal miners every month”.
MP
He added that the MP for the area, who also happens to be a board member of the Minerals Commission, Acheampong when contacted admitted that what is going on at Akyem Awaham is nothing but illegal mining and he is taking steps to fix it.
“We however believe that the pace at which our MP is taking in solving this menace will not help anybody at the end of the day. We call on him to be bold, decisive, and expedite his actions before a health crisis looms in this town” he indicated.
MCE
He alleged that ” Mr. Seth Oduro our MCE is captured on tape and recorded in a call placed to him concerning this very issue of illegal mining of having said that he is aware of the fact that a Company called Bugodon is the one mining here at Awaham and he even had documents on his desk at that material moment and hence there was nothing untoward going on here at Awaham”.
He continued that “When he probed further, he denied knowledge of the galamsey activity that as MCE he cannot know everything because while the President sits in Accra, he cannot possibly know of a thievery in the North”.
He added that “this statement by the MCE is egregious because he seems not to understand the very concept that enables him to be in office for and on behalf of the President. Again, there are rumors that one Appiah Kubi, an aide to the MCE goes around the various mining sites here at Awaham collecting money for the MCE”.
They are calling upon the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Dan Botwe, and the Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Acheampong to institute an inquiry into the behavior of the MCE concerning these matters and apply the needed sanctions.
” President Nana Addo has indeed committed lots of efforts and resources in righting the wrongs of galamsey and so the last thing to expect would be his appointees meddling in this whole game of illegal mining” the Youth noted.
Chief Reactions
The chief of the area, Barim Pobi Asomaning II, when contacted explained that the said ongoing mining is a community mining initiated by the government and not illegal as being alleged by the youth to destroy any water body in the area.
He said his outfit has done the necessary consultations with the miners and the government which the community is also benefiting from, in terms of developmental projects in the area before the mining is taking place.
MCE Reactions
Meanwhile, the MCE Seth Oduro, when contacted at press time noted that he doesn’t have any knowledge about the said mining taking place in the area, hence cannot comment on the matter.
BY Daniel Bampoe