Issues of galamsey are degrading and Mr. Bernard Antwi-Boasiako has angrily reacted to and refuted a blantant lie by Elikem Kotoko to associate him to the activity.
The Ashanti Regional Chairman for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and owner of Akonta Mining Limited has reacted angrily to a Facebook post by Kotoko that sought to link him to alleged illegal miners arrested for mining at Samreboi in the Western North region of Ghana.
The avid member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who has been made deputy CEO of the Forestry Commission of Ghana, shared on his timeline that he joined in a raid of about six (6) illegal mining sites “allegedly” belonging to Mr. Bernard Antwi-Boasiako popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.
The exercise according to him “resulted in the arrest of 6 Chinese, 2 Koreans and 18 Ghanaians” and added that a total of “8 excavators were also taken and some 5 abandoned at their locations due to mobility challenge”.
In responding to the issue, Chairman Wontumi told Wontumionline.com that despite having a valid license to operate at his site at Samreboi, he has put on hold mining activities in the area.
According to him, the only activity he has performed on his mining site is to pay for a contractor to “reclaim the land degraded by illegal miners” and “plant 15,000 coconut trees” on it.
“I have a legitimate license to mine on my site but I have stopped mining in the area long ago due to what illegal miners did on my land”, he said.
He continued that he has no relationship with the illegal miners Elikem Kotoko, claims to have busted with the police.
“I have hired a contractor and paid him to reclaim the degraded land and plant 15,000 coconut trees on it. I have no idea who the illegal miners arrested by the police are and I am committed to protecting the environment of Ghana through legal mining despite Akonta Mining Limited not being in operation for some time now”, he said.
He therefore urged the public to disregard the attempt by Elikem Kotoko to link him to galamsey activities.
