The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has taken a swipe on the Lands and Natural Resources minister’s assertion that chiefs should be blamed for the incessant illegal mining in the country.
Speaking at the 40th anniversary of the Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources at KNUST, Samuel Abu Jinapor, the minister, noted chiefs and other community leaders are complicit in the illegal mining business since their approval is sought before any such activities are carried out on their lands.
“I come from a Palace and I can say without a shred of equivocation that in most cases, no one bring an excavator to mine in a forest or chamfine to work on a river body in a community without the knowledge or passive approval of the chief, elders, opinion leaders, assemblymen and local authorities in the community. We have to begin to be blunt about this situation on our hands. It is the honest truth”.
Meanwhile, the Asantehene objected the assertion saying concessions are concerted by government without prior notice of the traditional authority.
He says the Constitution of the land wields all natural resources at the bosom of the presidency who gives out concessions to people at without any consultations and doesn’t see why the minister should call chiefs out for the canker.
The alumni plan to construct a 300-seater computer and GIS laboratory for the faculty as part of efforts to enhance training natural resource managers.
Source: Onuaonline.com
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