Angama Tuagyan Has No TraditionalCapacity To Ban Okoben Mining Company–Allodial Owners Of Griwa Stool LandsPetition Minerals Commission
They finally broken silence by stating that one Henry Acquah alias Awulae Angama Tu-Agyan who is currently parading himself as Paramount (Omanhene) Chief of Gwira Traditional Area is an imposter.
Freeman Koryekpor 
THE ALLODIAL owners of the Bamiakor Royal Paramount Stool Lands and accredited elders, heads of families and principal kingmakers of the Gwira Traditional Area in the Western Region, have called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and Minerals Commission and the general public, particularly the citizens of the area to disregard the reports that the Gwira Traditional Council has banned the gold mining activities of Okoben Mining Company Limited.
These elders are the allodial owners of the Gwira Traditional Stool Lands in the Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira Constituency of Nzema East Municipality.
They finally broken silence by stating that one Henry Acquah alias Awulae Angama Tu-Agyan who is currently parading himself as Paramount (Omanhene) Chief of Gwira Traditional Area is an imposter.
They stressed that the unaccredited elders who performed Henry Acquah's installation as Paramount Chief of Gwira Traditional Area have no traditional capacity to install the Gwira Omanhene hence the current move by Henry Acquah with fake chieftaincy name Awulae Angama Tu-Agyan II to be calling himself as the Paramount Chief of Gwira is unacceptable and uncustomary.
They further stressed that Awulae Angama Tu-Agyan is not a paramount chief of Gwira, reemphasizing that he chieftaincy status has been challenged in court and that the case is still in the court for final determination.
In this regard, they called on the leadership of the Minerals Commission to stop dealing with Mr Henry Acquah as the paramount chief of Gwira.
They maintained that his gross misconducts and disturbances were posing insecurity, tension and confusion in the area, and that it is the high time for the relevant national security regulatory institutions to call Henry Acquah and his followers to order.
These forgoing explanations were contained in the strong worded petition submitted to the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Mr Martin Kwaku Ayisi by the allodial owners of the Gwira Bamiakor Paramount Royal Stool.
The petition dated Tuesday 19, 2023 to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Minerals Commission endorsed by the allodial owners of the Bamiakor Royal Stool Lands in the Gwira Traditional Area led Paramount Queen-Mother of Gwira Bamiakor, Gwira, Nana Adwoa Affiah was in response to the current cook allegations leveled against the Okoben Mining Company Limited owned by famous Ghanaian entrepreneur, Nana Okoben Amposah.
Nana Okoben Amposah has been in the news for which some chiefs from Gwira led by an imposter chief, Mr Henry Acquah a.k.a Awulae Angama Tu-Agyan who is currently parading himself as the Paramount Chief of Gwira for mining in its gold mining concession at Gwira Dominase which activities had polluted River Akonbra in the Western Region.
But in a five page petition dated Tuesday 19, 2023 to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Minerals Commission, Mr Martin Kwaku Ayis which endorsed and signed by the allodial owners of the Bamiakor Royal Stool Lands in the Gwira led Paramount Queen-Mother of Bamiakor, Nana Adwoa Affiah, they stressed that the reputable gold mining company has not been involved in any wrongdoing.
They stressed Angama Tuagyan has his chieftaincy status challenged in Senkodi High Court and that he has not been recognized as the Paramount Chief of the Gwira Chief as far the traditions and customs of the area are concerned.
They added that the embattled chief has no chieftaincy and traditional capacity to ban Okoben Mining Company which has been mining legally and lawfully in the area for almost 25 years without violating the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (ACT 703).
They pointed out that per the traditions and customs of the area when the chief was installed, it is the prerogative of the Gwira Traditional Area to first give him chieftaincy gazette clearance forms to fill with the necessary endorsements of the registrar and some key chiefs and elders before such a chief can have the power to present the forms to the National House of Chiefs in Kumasi for final approval.
They explained that the traditional authorities through the Registrar Mr Matison have not given the embattled chief the gazette clearance forms since his chieftaincy status has been challenged.
They pointed out that Mr Mastison and Adotenhene of the area who had the traditional authorities and capacities to sign or endorse the clearance forms for the embattled chief have refused to do so with the reason that the chieftaincy status of Angama Tuagyan is questionable.
They revealed that the personal secretary of the chief and other chiefs in the area who are not legally gazetted were the chiefs who had signed the gazette clearance forms on behalf of the Gwira Traditional Council to be sent to the National House of Chiefs in Kumasi which attested to the fact that Angama Tuagyan has secured his gazette through fraudulent means.
He added that the gazette secured by Angama Tuagyan was rejected by the various accredited and principal kingmakers including the prominent chiefs in the Gwira Traditional Council.
They asserted that his chieftaincy gazette is questionable and that there is an ongoing trial at the Senkodi High Court to expunge his name from the register of the National House of Chiefs in Kumasi.
They noted that the embattled chief even leading a delegation of the chiefs of Gwira Traditional Area to the Jubilee House or Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources in Accra to make these false statements is a clear violation of the traditions, customs, and norms of the Gwira Traditional Area.
Against this background, Nana Alu menza lll urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the general public to disregard the claims by Angama Tuagyan that the traditional authorities of Gwira have banned the Okoben Mining Company Limited from mining on its gold mining concession at Dominase
In order to set the record straight on the matter, the allodial owners of the Bamiakor Paramount Royal Stool Land and accredited elders and kingmakers of the Gwira Traditional Area have drawn attention of the Minerals Commission and general public to the fact that the Gwira Traditional Area has no paramount chief.
In this regard, "we want to officially inform your offices to be mindful that Henry Acquah a.k.a Awulae Angama Tu-Agyan who is parading himself as the paramount of the Gwira Traditional Area is not and that he should not be accorded that chieftaincy respect.
"The legally and traditionally installed office holders in the persons of Adotenhene of Tumentu in Gwira, Nana Kpole Antoanah V, Paramount Queen-mother of Gwira, Nana Adwoa Affiah, Principal Head of Amanrakpanyim Family of Gwria, Nana Alumenza lll and Tufuhene of Assuawuah in Gwira Traditional Area, Nana Addae Blay V have not recognized Henry Acquah as the paramount chief of the area," they further stressed.
However, in a fact-finding mission to the Dominase where the concession of the company was located, the journalists spoke to the traditional authorities including the owners of the land who justified that Nana Okoben Amponsah had bought the concession from the original owners of the land in Dominase
They told the journalists that Nana Okoben Amponsah has the necessary legal documents covering the land at Dominase and that he has been paying royalties to the owners of the Dominase community periodically as it was stated in the contractual agreement with the land owners in the area.
The land owners and principal elders of Dominase have given an account of the numerous contributions that Nana Okoben Amponsah has done to the development of the lives of the people in the community and that he deserves to be commended.
They pointed out that the company has done a lot of corporate social responsibility projects and programmes to bring development to Dominase and its adjoining communities in the municipality and stressed Angama Tuagyan has no capacity to ban Okoben Mining Company.
