The Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh faced a serious embarrassment at Osuben in the Eastern Region as residents drove him away.
Residents booed at him and his entourage and hit their cars in protest of a Taiwan Mining firm, Soon Mining Co. Limited.
The Minister bowed his head in apparent shame as he was forced out of the town on Wednesday morning, July 31, 2019.
The residents blew trumpets as they forced the Minister out with officials of the firm whom they called “thieves.”
The residents shouted at the Minister and his entourage, indicating strongly that no mining activity would be allowed in the area.
Attempts to calm down the angry residents proved futile, leaving the Minister and his team as well as the Taiwanese nationals helpless.
The residents say its their cocoa that they want and not gold.
“We don’t like gold money oo we don’t like gold money,” they screamed at the Minister.
“Our cocoa is what we like,” they said, adding that “if it rains we are not able to use our roads.
They booed at the team as they referred to the Chinese as ” thieves.”
It is the second time they have revolted against the Taiwanese firm called Soon Mining Co. Limited.
It was an embarrassing moment for the Minister and the second of such protests to greet him in the region.
On Tuesday, July 30, 2019, residents of Esaase protested against the presence of another Chinese Mining firm, Akroma Gold Limited when the Minister visited the town.
At the core of all the protests are lack of infrastructure such as roads, decent school blocks and health facilities.
Roads in the mining towns are all in deplorable state, and usually muddy during rainy season.
BY Melvin Tarlue