A member of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP’s) communications team, Mr. Ralph Osei-Wusu, has defended the mining operations of Chairman Wontumi describing him as someone who would not do anything illegal to destroy the environment.
His comments comes on the back of a statement by President Akufo-Addo that he has seen reports from state institutions charged to investigate the operations of Akonta Mining Company Limited and hasn’t found anything linking their operations to illegal mining.
Speaking on Wontumi TV which was monitored by Wontumionline.com, Mr. Ralph Osei-Wusu stated that Chairman Wontumi wasn’t created by God to destroy the earth and water bodies.
He described Chairman Wontumi as someone who loves Ghana and wouldn’t do things to destroy his surroundings.
Ralph Osei-Wusu took a swipe at some key members of the NPP who were yearning for the collapse of Akonta Mining when some members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) led by Mr. Ken Ashigbey were calling for his prosecution without providing any form of evidence.
President Akufo-Addo exonerated Akonta Mining Company Limited from any wrongdoing, stressing that it isn’t involved in any illegal mining anywhere in Ghana.
“Let me respond briefly to the chairperson on the issue of illegal mining,” President Akufo-Addo remarked after concerns about the menace came to the fore at the 28th National and 16th Biennial Congress of the National Union of Ghana Catholic Diocesan Priests Association held in Koforidua.
“I want to assure him and all of you that Akonta Mining is not engaged in any illegal mining anywhere in Ghana as we speak.
“Further, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has through the agency of the Forestry Commission with the assistance of the military made the effort to cordon off all 294 sites of forest reserves in the country and rid them of illegal mining as we speak.”
President Akufo-Addo was responding to a concern expressed by the chairperson of the occasion, Ing. Ken Ashigbey, regarding Akonta Mining Company Limited’s supposed infraction of the laws to mine in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve in the Western North Region.