TO ALL MEDIA HOUSES
RESPONSE OF OKATAKYIE AMOA ATURU NKONKONKYIA II TO ALLEGATION OF INVOLVEMENT IN ILLEGAL MINING OPERATIONS OR GALAMSEY BY DROBO TRADITIONAL COUNCIL
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media, I present to you this press release on behalf of the Omanhene and Paramount Chief of Mpuasu-Japekrom Traditional Area, Okatakyie Amoa Aturu Nkonkonkyia II, and in my capacity as the Acting President of the Japekrom Traditional Council.Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media, I present to you this press release on behalf of the Omanhene and Paramount Chief of Mpuasu-Japekrom Traditional Area, Okatakyie Amoa Aturu Nkonkonkyia II, and in my capacity as the Acting President of the Japekrom Traditional Council.
2. It has come to our notice, through a recent radio news item which was aired by Kiss Fm, a local radio station and Peace Fm, Accra and subsequently published by the Daily Guide newspaper publication of 9th August, 2017 page 15 in which it has been alleged, through an Abontendomhene of Drobo, a town in the Jaman North District of the Brong Ahafo Region, that the Japekromhene, Okatakyie Amoa Aturu Nkonkonkyia II, is facilitating illegal mining or “galamsey” operations, on Mpuasu-Japekrom Stool lands.
3. The Council wishes to state emphatically that there is no illegal mining, galamsey activity or any form of mining anywhere on the Mpuasu-Japekrom Stool Lands. The allegation is a lie, malicious, defamatory and total fabrication by the Drobo Traditional Council and its agents with the intention of soiling the hard-won image of the Omanhene of Mpuasu-Japekrom Traditional Area.
4. The Council wishes to respond to the radio news report on kiss fm, peace fm and the subsequent publication by the Daily Guide newspaper concerning the allegation. Below are the facts of the matter.
5. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Symphony Limited approached the Japekrom Traditional Council on the 16th of September, 2016 to inform us that his Company had secured a license to prospect for minerals at both Jaman North and South Districts. He further mentioned that per the license, the working area for Symphony Limited in the Jaman South covered some locations on the Mpuasu-Japekrom Stool Lands.
6. Subsequently, the CEO produced letters and documents (with some dating as far back as 2011-refer to the attached copies below) from the Minerals Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Lands Commission, Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands, Jaman South District Assembly and others in support of his claim that the Minerals Commission of Ghana has given Symphony Limited a License to Prospect for Minerals in the Jaman area.
7. The Prospecting License from the Minerals Commission, as contained in a copy of a letter to the Council, with reference PL.7/148 and dated 29th November, 2016, indicated that Symphony Limited has been given the permit to carry out physical activities such as pitting, trenching and drilling on the land.
8. Symphony Limited thus requested the Council to inform all communities in the areas on the Mpuasu-Japekrom Stools Lands including Baabiaraneha and Komforkrom, about the Company’s intention to begin the physical activities on the land.
9. Having inspected and verified some of the documents submitted to the Council, the request for us to introduce Symphony Limited to the communities was granted. Thus the Council, through the Registrar, in a letter dated 7th February, 2017 with Reference JTC/A/2017-1, wrote to inform the chiefs of Baabiaraneha and Komfourkrom asking them to have a meeting with the farmers and Symphony Limited to have their questions answered concerning the intended minerals prospecting activities. A copy of the Prospecting License from the Minerals Commission authorizing Symphony Limited to carry-out the said activity in the area was attached.
10. With the coming into power of the new government and its efforts to curb the menace of illegal mining, the Traditional Council further requested Symphony Limited to present a confirmation letter from the Government of Ghana concerning the status of their license.
11. The Minerals Commission subsequently forwarded a copy of a new letter with reference PL.7/148 to Symphony Limited (Find attached) dated 2nd June, 2017 to the President of the Council confirming the status of Symphony Limited.
12. The letters confirm that “Symphony Limited is the holder of two (2) Prospecting Licenses (with renewal option) located at Baabiaraneha and Adomesu in the Brong Ahafo Region”. And that “the 2-year Prospecting Licenses, which were both granted by the Hon. Minister of Lands and Natural Resources on 23rd March, 2016 will expire on 22nd March, 2018.
13. The letter further states that in accordance with the law, the terms of the licenses allow Symphony Limited to search for the specified mineral(s), and also determine their extent and the economic value of the mineral deposit and report their findings to government. The terms also permit the Company to carry out physical activities such as pitting, trenching and drilling on the land. The Minerals Commission letter of June 2, 2017, to the President of Japekrom Traditional Council, stated categorically that Symphony Limited is a legitimate large scale Prospecting license holder and has every right to conduct exploration under the prospecting license.
14. The 2nd June, 2017 letter from the Minerals Commission to Symphony Limited was copied to: – The Hon. Minister, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Accra- The Hon. Minster, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Accra- The Hon. Regional Minister, Brong Ahafo Region, Sunyani – The Acting Executive Director, Environmental Protection Agency, Accra- The District Chief Executive, Jaman North District Assembly, Sampa- The District Chief Executive, Jaman South District Assembly, New Drobo- The President, Gyapekrom Traditional Council- The Assembly Member, Adomesu Electoral Area- The Assembly Member, Baabiaraneha Electoral Area
15. Prior to the visit of the CEO on the 16th September, 2016 there had been series of communication between the Jaman South District Assembly and the Minerals Commission and other agencies as far back as 2011 concerning the prospecting intentions of Symphony Limited.
16. These facts above clearly prove that the Drobo Traditional Council and its agents are just seeking to use lies to defame the Omanhene by tagging him to Galamsey. Their claim of supporting the President’s fight against the galamsey menace by their utterances is in bad faith, conflicting and mischievous since the Minerals Commission is an agency of government. The Drobo Traditional Council and its agents, by the recent action and other earlier utterances, are promoting lawlessness, indiscipline, impunity and raising false alarms for their unsustainable agenda and thereby undermining the procedures and protocols of state development.
17. The Japekrom Traditional Council is in support of any attempts by government to improve the lives and living conditions of Ghanaians through lawful or legitimate means.
18. Thus, the Japekrom Traditional Council and its President wish to state unequivocally that the Council does not in any way support any activities that destroy the lands and water bodies of Ghana. The Council or its President did not in any way assist Symphony Limited in securing a Prospecting License.
19. The President of the Council, Okatakyie Amoa Aturu Nkonkonkyia II, is a leading crusader against pollution of the environment and has in recent times embarked on environmental campaigns to protect river bodies. The Omanhene has independently organised and sponsored public education for citizens of the traditional area about the negative consequences of illegal mining, illegal chainsaw operations, unauthorized erection of buildings and poor sanitation practices on communities. The Omanhene has recently carried-out tree planting and removal of waste deposits in and along major rivers in the Traditional Area (This activity was captured by TV3 Network on the 17th February, 2017 and reported as such).
20. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media, Okatakyie Amoa Aturu Nkonkonkyia II is a health professional, fine gentleman, an environmentalist and believes firmly in the rule of law and order. He is in good working relationship with the President of the Republic in the efforts towards the development of the Country and the fight against the illegal mining.
21. It is worth noting that Drobohene sought to claim lands and townships of the Mpuasu-Japekrom Traditional Area of Jaman, through a litigation initiated in the year 1996 that span from the High Court through to the Appeals Court and ended at the Supreme Court of Ghana. His claim was refused by all these courts with a final judgment from Supreme Court of Ghana on the 19th of November, 2015 in favour of the Japekrom Stool.Against this background the Drobohene and his agents have embarked on a ploy to defame the Omanhene and President of the Japekrom Traditional Council and incite government officials and Ghanaians against his personality. It is interesting to note that the Drobo Traditional Council, which is now raising these false claims had earlier on around 2011, during the time of the litigation, given the green light to the same Company to carry-on with their surveillance and reconnaissance activities. This was done in an attempt to lay false claim to the stool lands of Mpuasu-Japekrom. With the settlement of the case at the Supreme Court, Nana Japekromhene was declared owner of the land including the New Drobo township. Realizing that the Company will now have to deal with Nana Japekromhene, the rightful owner of the land, instead of the Drobohene, the Drobo Traditional Council and its agents have now turn around to describe the whole exercise as galamsey activity. This is an old trick that will not work. We urge all media houses to desist from promoting such cheap and mischievous propaganda by agents of the Drobo Traditional Council who are pursuing a false agenda. We want to make it categorically clear and emphasize that the Mpuasu-Japekrom Traditional Area is different from the Drobo Traditional Area and the Mpuasu-Japekrom Stool does not share boundary with the Drobo Stool. As mentioned earlier, Drobo is in the Jaman North District of the Brong-Ahafo Region of the Republic of Ghana.
22. The two communities mentioned above are settler farming communities on Mpuasu-Japekrom Stool Lands and are occupying the lands under the authority and license of the Mpuasu-Japekrom Stool or the Japekromhene. The New Drobo township (of about 20 plots of land) itself belongs to the Japekromhene. The Omanhene of Mpusu-Japekrom Traditional Area has Traditional, Customary and Legitimate jurisdiction on all communities settling on Mpuasu-Japekrom Stool lands and has every right to permit use of the land for developments that are sanctioned by the state and the laws of Ghana.
23. We urge all state institutions, agencies and government officials dealing with the Drobo Traditional Council on matters regarding Mpuasu-Japekrom Stool Lands and Mpuasu-Japekrom Traditional Area to be cautious.
24. We urge all media houses to be circumspect in their reportage, ensure credibility and protect the integrity of their outlets by verifying the authenticity of their news reports before they make conclusions and feed it to the general public.25. Against these facts, we are asking the Abontendomhene and the Drobo Traditional Council, kiss fm, peace fm and the Daily Guide newspaper to retract the claim and the news reportage which, in the view of the Council, is defamatory to the person of Okatakyie Amoa Aturu Nkonkonkyia II. We intend to seek legal counsel from our lawyers in order to clear the name of the Omanhene, and as well preserve and protect the good name of the Mpuasu-Japekrom State.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, Thank you.
Sincerely,
Nana Asare Kontimako
Ag. President, Japekrom Traditional Council
On Behalf of Omanhene and President of Japekrom Traditional
Council. Okatakyie Amoa Aturu Nkonkonkyia II.
Cc:
The Hon. Minister Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Accra
The Mineral Commission, Accra
The Hon. Minister
Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Accra
The Hon. Minister
Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Accra
The Hon. Regional Minister
Brong Ahafo Region, Sunyani
The District Chief Executive
Jaman South District Assembly
Japekrom.
The District Chief Executive
Jaman North District AssemblySampa.
Brong-Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, Sunyani
The National Security Coordinator, Accra
The Regional Police Commander
Brong Ahafo, Sunyani
The Divisional Police Commander
Berekum
The District Police Commander
Jaman South District, Japekrom
