Former President John Dramani Mahama’s claim that President Akufo-Addo sought to absolve Akonta Mining Company of any wrongdoing has been rejected by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor.
The minister said the President’s comments on the Akonta Mining Company had been misconstrued as an “exoneration” by Mr. Mahama, who is seeking to stage a comeback for the Jubilee House.
The ex-President, in a Facebook post on Tuesday, took a swipe at President Akufo-Addo, asserting he has the penchant to absolve his appointees and other close associates of any wrongdoing “as he has done with the ongoing investigations into the operations of Akonta Mining Company is a serious dent on the already deteriorating image of the Office of the President.”
But the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, whose domain the issue falls, in a quick response, said the ex-President got his facts wrong in arriving at his attacks on the President.
“Dear [former] President Mahama, I have read, sir, with utmost dismay, your Facebook post regarding the comments made by the President of the Republic, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in the Eastern Region, when he addressed the 28th National and 16th Biennial Congress of the National Union of Catholic Diocesan Priests’ Association (NUCDPA).
“Ordinarily, I would have no need to respond to matters you post on your Facebook page. But, due to the gross misinformation and political spin contained in the said post, as well as the attempt to disparage my integrity and that of the President in respect of this matter, as Minister responsible for Lands and Natural Resources, I deem it necessary to set the records straight,” he stated.
Facts
According to him, sometime last year, there were allegations levelled against Akonta Mining Ltd that it was engaging in some mining activities in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve.
“Although the company had applied for a mining lease over a portion of the Forest Reserve, the application had not yet been determined. I, therefore, directed the Forestry Commission to investigate the matter, and ensure that the Company does not carry out mining activities in the Forest,” he recounted.
The minister said the Forestry Commission moved in quickly and cleared the forest of all alleged illegal activities.
He added that when President Akufo-Addo was invited as a Special Guest of Honour at the NUCDPA Congress, he was asked a specific question by the Chairman of the occasion regarding illegal mining activities by Akonta Mining.
He noted that the President in response stated categorically that Akonta Mining was not engaged in any illegal mining anywhere in Ghana at the time he was speaking.
Jinapor said, “The President was speaking about the state of affairs at the time he made the comment, and went ahead to add that Government, through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Forestry Commission had, with the assistance of the military, cordoned off all Forest Reserves in the country, and rid them of illegal mining activities at the time he was speaking, and that Government was working to ensure that the situation remains permanent.”
The minister further noted, “The comments by the President in no way relates to past or future activities of Akonta Mining, and cannot, by any shred of imagination, be deemed as exonerating the company from any past activities or interfering with any ongoing investigations.”
He pointed out that it is public knowledge that the allegations of illegal mining against Akonta Mining Limited were being investigated by state institutions responsible for such investigations, and named them as the Ghana Police Service and the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
“When I received the report from the investigations conducted by the Forestry Commission, pursuant to my directive, I forwarded the report to the Ghana Police Service, through the Minister for Interior, to assist them in their investigations.
“The Criminal Investigations Division (CID) of the Police Service has subsequently written to me requesting some further information, which I have provided.
“The Office of the Special Prosecutor, in its Half Yearly Report dated 31st December, 2022, also states that the Office is currently investigating activities of Akonta Mining and other companies in respect of the said allegations,” he said.
Jinapor intimated that officials of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources are collaborating with these state institutions to conduct their investigations and take the necessary actions.
“The President, mindful of these ongoing investigations, refrained from speaking on past activities of the company which are under investigations by the state agencies. Indeed, but for the specific question posed by the Chairman of the occasion, the President would not have mentioned Akonta Mining at all.
“I, also, want to put on record that no one, and absolutely no one, compelled me to issue the Press Statement on Akonta Mining which was issued following the allegations of their activities in the Forest Reserve.
“Neither has the President called any official of Akonta Mining to ‘appease’ them on the action taken by the Government. These claims, if they were indeed made, as you suggest, are, obviously, false and a figment of peoples’ own imagination,” the minister stated.
“Under his distinguished and outstanding leadership, we are committed to doing this with the highest standards of transparency, integrity and utmost good faith in the public interest,” he asserted.
The minister again noted that “without a shred of equivocation that the record of President Akufo-Addo’s Government in the past six years of fighting corruption far surpasses the NDC’s eight-year record.”
“I have reluctantly come out to set these records straight due to the very unfair and unfortunate manner in which you have attacked the unblemished reputation and integrity of the President of the Republic, your successor,” he said.
By Ernest Kofi Adu