Mo opeaw, Nana (Well done, Great King). We are proud of you. Your noble principles, notable examples and bold display of mettle are historic and worthy of commendation. Nana, nyankwa daa (Nana, long life).
We had decided not to write on galamsey again after three unheeded outings. But recent developments dictate that we take our pen again, knowing full well that “what is worth doing is worth doing well” (valet facere valet beneficientes) and we cannot be like Nero and play the fiddle while Rome burns.
Unlike Otumfuo, Ghanaians as a whole have not displayed anger enough and the writers like Erastus Asare Donkor appear to have been writing only “words, words, words”, as Hamlet answers Polonius.
Otumfuo had his “nhenkwaa” remove the sandals of three chiefs of Sabronum Awua Gyan Atuomi (Gyaasehene), Akyeamehene and Baamuhene; thus, they were destooled. And why? They had not behaved according as the oath they swore on enthronement dictates. They had “destroyed the town with galamsey… I petitioned the NIB to conduct investigations…if I allow you to stay, you will completely destroy the town”. Otumfuo cautioned chiefs in Asanteman.
To celebrate this outstanding feat by our King, we (our good selves, Lawyer Kwame Awuah) organized ourselves for an English breakfast at a restaurant at Otumfuo II Estates (Affordable) at Asokore-Mampong on Sunday, September 1, 2024 at the invitation of our learned friend, Dr. Oti Adinkra. We discussed galamsey in great detail.
We had previously written under the following headings: “Tangoing with Galamsey”; “Deracinate Galamsey-Now or Never”, “The water and Galamsey Tango”, “NPP! Beware of Galamsey” In “NPP! Beware of Galamsey”, we wrote: “Words like taciturn, reticent, laconic, diffident, and tight-lipped can hardly fit Obiri Boahen, the former NPP Deputy Secretary-General.
He is at worst, talkative (tending to talk a great deal) and at best, loquacious (with the power to express himself accurately and eloquently), for a person who would defend NPP on every issue to say ‘no comment’ when asked about his views on the current imbroglio between Professor Frimpong-Boateng and some officials at the Jubilee House on galamsey suggest that something has gone awry. We continued:
“In 2018, the President appointed Dr. Frimpong-Boateng the Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee Against Illegal Mining (IMCIM) and he produced a Report)… the President, Nana Akufo-Addo made the profound statement that he was prepared to put his presidency on the line to stop the destruction of the environment… the IMCIM (Mineral Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Water Resources Commission, Forestry Commission)… Cabinet directed the Minister for Lands and National Resources to suspend the issuance of all new licences/permits by the Forestry Commission… but the directives were ignored and the destruction continued…
Frimpong-Boateng’s Report continues “… Mr. Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie (a.k.a. Sir John) gave… forestry entry permits to mining companies…including those foreign nationals for prospecting activities at a time when the President had put a ban on that activity, through Charles Owusu, the Director of Operations at the Forestry Commission… Sir John had a Chinese gang doing mining on his behalf…
The Report mentioned Lord Commey, Charles Nii Teiko, Frank Asiedu Bikoe… frantic telephone calls from Capt Kodah of the Presidential security detail who asked for the (2) excavators to be released… and Kwadwo Oppong-Nkrumah reported that 500 seized excavators had gone missing. Kweku Baako’s ‘Crusading Guide’ reported “Frimpong-Boateng’s Mafia Style Lands Govt in Big Trouble”; “Frimpong-Boateng goes on Rampage”.
Gabby Otchere Darko has dragged Frimpong-Boateng to court, demanding GHc10 million in general damages…when the “Operation Vanguard” visited the Apamprama Forest, Frimpong-Boateng received a call from Gabby Otchere Darko, a relative of President Akufo-Addo and founder of African Legal Associates and he defended his action:
“Lawyers are supposed to protect the legitimate business of their clients… why would a legitimate company with all the licences and permits required to do prospecting be frustrated from doing their work…” That was after Dr. Frimpong-Boateng had confiscated equipment belonging to Heritage Imperial under the Managing Director called Entsuah.
Dr. Ayele Jasper Abemba Ayelazuno, a social scientist at Ghana’s University for Development Studies says: “… It is not your grandfather’s galamsey… They are not your usual poor people digging for gold for survival, but well-established politically connected rich people promoting illegal mining to make more money, the “elite galamsey”.
Parliament passed the Legislative Instrument 2462 in November 2022 allowing mining in forest reserves including biodiversity areas like the Draw River because ‘exploration licence’ could easily be converted into “mining licence”.
Readers may recall the President, Nana Akufo-Addo while addressing the Catholic Bishops Conference in Koforidua at which he noted: “Let me respond briefly to the Chairperson on the issue of illegal mining. I want to assure him and all of you that Akonta Mining is not engaged in any unlawful activities in any part of the country as we speak”. (Like Obiri Boahen, we said “no comment”).
Mustapha Gbande insists that when (or if) NDC comes to power he will pick up Antwi Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi) from his house “like a fowl” for being a threat to the nation’s water bodies. Wontumi answers to a charge of his Akonta Mining doing galamsey, ‘Can you push Wontumi?
Even ‘Legal’ and ‘’Illegal’’ what is the difference? The difference is a document. So as a veteran miner. I don’t know how to get documents done? On the Akonta Mining at Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve, the Attorney-General Godfred Dame had not seen “any video …. no docket had been presented to me in respect of Akonta Mining…”
At page 19 of the obnoxious “Agyapadie Book” allegedly authored by “Opposition’s assigns”, a note is made: “The Minerals Commission will be pushed to issue licenses and good concessions to these companies. This will effectively transition us from galamsey mining to legally licensed mining companies.
Future inflows from these entities will be invested in additional companies to be strategically positioned along the precious minerals value chain. A similar blueprint will be replicated in the oil and gas sector… The technical team led by DM (Ofori-Atta) should further evaluate the following details in order to choose the appropriate sites….”
Our noble friend and hall-mate Togbe Afede makes a soothing statement Never to allow galamsey in his area of jurisdiction. And Aisha Huang – whereabouts unknown.
Unfortunately, the effects of galamsey are too dire to even talk about it. The water is so polluted farmers cannot use the river passing through their farms to water their crops.
They cannot use the water from the rivers to drink, cook or wash, the farm produce -poisonous. During the emergency Parliamentary sitting on September 3, 2024, the Majority Chief Whip Annor Dompreh charged: “You (NDC) polluted the water more than us (NPP)”.
Incredible! Is the question now, one who polluted water (or rivers) more or less? And 2 and half -year old twins died at Morkwaa, near Twifo Praso after falling into an abandoned galamsey pit. And at Konongo and Odumasi people openly do ‘galamsey’, eating into the Kumasi-Accra Highway… houses have ‘galamsey’ dug-outs: a middle-aged woman fell into one of such dug-outs which were being used as a toilet and it caved in.
The editorial of the Chronicle of September 2, 2024 is apposite: “We Dread Ghana May Be Thirsty Soon If …” We shall import water, plantain, cocoa…all our forest will be gone, and when the last tree dies, the last man dies. Whither goeth we?
