Member of Parliament for the Effutu Constituency, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has called on all traditional leaders and customary custodians of the area to never allow blatant lies told in the name of partisan politics to create any division among them.
Afenyo-Markin, speaking at an all inclusive stakeholders forum with the traditional and customary heads on Sunday morning cautioned that there is a deliberate plan to use false accusations to create internal divisions among the traditional leadership and exploit it as a political tool but this strategy must be guarded against.
The Effutu MP made the comments to the traditional heads in response to allegations from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) leadership in the Constituency that he and some notables in Government had sold the Effutu sacred groove and Ramsar site to some persons to use for mining minerals.
“Last Tuesday, we saw some people wearing red and black on a protest and their issue was that our Effutu sacred forest from which we hunt our deer every year for our Aboakyer festival from the days of our ancestors has been sold by myself and some NPP and government officials. If we sell the sacred forest, it means we won’t be able to have our festival because there would not be any other place for us to hunt for the deer
“I ask myself one question that what on earth could move a human being to fabricate such a lie and to say such lies without any shame just for people to believe his story. My elders gathered here today, I say with all boldness in the name of God, in the name of all that is true and in the name of all the traditional elders of Simpa, both departed to the land of the silent ones and those alive among we mortals that there is no truth in the allegation that I and some NPP elders have sold the sacred forests of Effutu”, Afenyo-Markin noted.
He continued: “the red and black attire they wore to walk through this town and the blasphemous lies they told about the sacred forest have desecrated our lands and shamefully soiled the sanctity of our state. How can such thoughts enter the head of the living; that the MP has sat for the forest to be sold. Is the MP here to serve money or to serve the people? They split us on traditional lines with their evil lies.
“I want my elders from all sides of the traditional divide to ignore such divisive blasphemy and for us to unite and focus on the development that binds us together. I came to serve everyone in Effutu; let us discourage such talks that bring division. Ask them what they have done to bring development and they can’t show anything. All they do is to spread lies, enmity and division”, Afenyo-Markin added.
MINERALS COMMISSION
The said allegations that there is an ongoing mining activity in the Effutu Ramsar site and sacred groove has been described as false by the Chief Executive of the Minerals Commission, Martin Kwaku Ayisi.
In response to the allegations that the said sacred forest, together with the several deer in it, had been sold to investors by some leaders of the New Patriotic Party in Effutu for mining purposes, the State institution responsible for such mining approvals have cleared the air:
“I was just surprised this morning that the people of Effutu are demonstrating about people going to mine in Yenko and that is the problem I am having with some of the journalists. Like this Kakum thing; you don’t find out. As far back as two, three years ago, we sent a letter to Neenyi Ghartey and the Assembly and everybody that there is nothing and there is no activity there so a lot of misinformation is going on and I am saying that in my case, my gates are always available. Just give us a call and check,” Chief Executive of the Minerals Commission, Martin Kwaku Ayisi noted in response to the allegations being raised in Winneba, Effutu.
The Minerals Commission Boss explained further: “then let me say this; in the mining cadastral, which is available, practically the whole Ghana is in our system. Ramsar Site, Muni Lagoon, whatever, when you come, we normally have what we call restricted sites. There are restrictions on such sites. So we tell you that you can’t have it. It is as simple as that.”
The allegations were raised by a group of protesters who hit the streets in a lawless demonstration last week, led by the wannabe National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary aspirant for the area, James Kofi Annan.
The protesters at a point became lawless and pelted police personnel with stones, injuring some uniformed officers and men in the process.
No evidence whatsoever has been provided to back the allegations.