The Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, popularly known as Sir John, has debunked accusations that he is involved in illegal mining.
The Minority caucus in parliament has fingered top functionaries in the government who are allegedly neck-deep in galamsey despite the ban on small scale mining in the country.
According to the Minority Spokesperson on Mines and Energy, Adams Mutawakilu, Sir John and the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party(NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, aka Chairman Wontumi are involved in the practice at Jacobu in the Ashanti region.
Addressing the media, the he, however, called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to rein in his party people in order to avoid further destruction of the country’s forest and natural resources.
“When the President made the statement that galamsey will be over soon, and the Minister said until the water bodies are clean they cannot lift, I think I organized a Press Conference where I told you that the statement from the Minister indicates that galamsey is ongoing. If galamsey was not ongoing, after almost one year in the fight against galamsey, the water bodies should be clean by now because it’s not stagnant water; it’s running water and so much rain has come.
Mr. Owusu Afriyie
“But few days after that, I picked some information, but before I could come out with details, the Chief of Jacobu came out clearly that the CEO of Forestry Commission and Wontumi, Chairman of the NPP in the Ashanti region are engaged in galamsey. And let me say frankly, it’s a big fact and its a slap on the face of the President.
“I believe that the President is probably doing a cover up for these people, because the information we the minority have is that, CEO of Forestry Commission, Sir John, uses his office to put sign post that certain areas are marked for reclamation but in actual fact there is serious galamsey going on in those places; this is just to let the military not to invade in those places,” he said.
But Sir John has refuted the accusations and said he “is not involved in any illegal mining activities.”
He stated that “No company has gotten permit as we speak to do reclamation anywhere” and took swipe at the NDC MPs of indulging in “lazy politics”.