Gwira Queen-mother, Accredited Elders Defend Okoben Mining! -And Declare Company Not Engaged In Illegal Mining
But in a counter press conference held on Saturday February 4, 2023, Nana Adwoa Affiah and the elders of the area stressed that "we want to state categorically that Okoben Mining is not engaged in any illegal mining activity anywhere in Gwira as we speak."
Freeman Koryekpor 
Paramount Queen-mother of Gwira Traditional Area in the Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira Municipality of the Western Region, Nana Adwoa Affiah together with the principal kingmakers and accredited elders of the Amanrakpanyim Family has stated that the Okoben Mining Company Limited being owned by Ghanaian business tycoon, Nana Okoben Amponsah is currently not engaged in any illegal mining popularly known as galamsey anywhere on their lands.
The principal kingmakers and accredited elders of the Amanrakpanyim Family are the custodial owners of Gwria Traditional Stool.
Scores of self-seeking chiefs led by the current embattled Paramount Chief of Gwira Traditional Area, Awulae Angama Tu-Agyan II called on the government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to withdraw any license granted to Okobeng Mining within fourteen (14) days.
According to them, because of the company illegal activities, its operational works have degraded their land and polluted it’s rivers such as River Ankobra, streams and other river bodies on the said concession.
Speaking at a news conference held in Accra recently, Awulae Angama Tu-Agyan II, hinted that when Nananom and the people started complaining, about the company’s Managing Director, Mr. Amposah is using some methods to intimidate Nananom and the people of Gwira Traditional Area with armed land guards with offensive weapons.
He stated that the company has failed to compensate cocoa and other farmers whose farms have been destroyed depriving them their livelihood. When the elders demanded for land compensation, the company issued dull cheques to defraud us.
In view of the above, the chiefs, queen mothers, elders, the youth and entire people of Gwira Traditional Area are making this statement to bring this development to the attention of the general public, ministry of lands and natural resources, the minerals commission, EPA and Ghana Police Service that as a matter of urgency within fourteen days withdraw any license granted to Okobeng Mining Company to operate in any part of Gwira Traditional Area lands.
The elders and entire Gwira Traditional Area is optimistic that the inspectorate division of mines under the auspices of minerals commission will act fast without fear or favour.
But in a counter press conference held on Saturday February 4, 2023, Nana Adwoa Affiah and the elders of the area stressed that "we want to state categorically that Okoben Mining is not engaged in any illegal mining activity anywhere in Gwira as we speak."
She noted that Nana Okoben Amponsah has become a prime target of attack by these chiefs including thousands of illegal small-scale miners, who are indiscriminately mining gold from communities including Bamiankor, Ayinase, Gwira-Ampasie, Akango, Dualle and Akosono among others in the Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira Municipality.
The Queen-mother of Gwira and the elders stated categorically that the illegal small scale mining activities of these galamseyers in these communities were rather destroying river Akonbra and other water bodies but not the company of Nana Okoben Amponsah.
"Since Nana Okoben Amponsah secured his concession at Dominase in Gwira from we the traditional authorities and got the necessary legal license and permit from the state mining regulatory institutions including Minerals Commission and Environmental Protection Agency, we have been monitoring the gold mining activities of miner and can attest to the fact that Nana Okoben Amponsah has been using legal means to work on his gold mining concession and put in place measures to fight galamseyers from destroying the river Akonbra and environment including the forest range reserves," the queen mother defended the miner.
She pointed that the evil plots being hatched by these chefs to the effect accusing the company of engaging in illegal mining activities which they claimed had polluted River Ankobra, streams and other river bodies on its gold concession at Dominase is a complete cocktail of imaginary tales, potential libel and a one-sided vicious trial by media.
She expressed their surprise at the allegations published against the company by these chiefs of Gwira and came out publicly to explain their innocence.
Nana Adwoa Affiah on behalf of kingmakers and accredited elders of the family who are the custodial owners of the area noted that the company has acquired its gold mining concession at Dominase in Gwira through legal, lawful and genuine means.
According to her, Nana Okobeng Amponsah's company has been mining gold resource on its 31.5 kilometers square legally acquired gold concession as being prescribed in the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (ACT 703) in Ghana.
She pointed out that "since Nana Okobeng Amponsah has legally secured a 31.5 kilometers square gold mining concession at Dominase and subsequently secured the legal environmental license and permit from the state mining regulatory institutions including Mineral Commission and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there were a clear evidences on the area that the miner has not violated the law and regulations regulating the activities of mining gold resources."
Nana Adwoa Affiah who gave a historical perspective to the issue, challenged a gazette being held by Angama Tuagyan as the document that legitimizes his supposed rulership.
Nana Adwoa Affiah stated that the claim by Angama Tuagyan that the traditional council has banned Okobeng Mining Company Limited cannot hold as the council has taken no such decision.
Flanked by some accredited elders and kingmakers of Gwira,Nana Adwoa Affiah said they learnt with shock and utter dismay the said ban and stated without equivocation that Okobeng Mining Company Limited has not been banned from mining in its concession at Dominase in Gwira.
Nana Adwoa Affiah stated that although the traditional authorities had given the land to the company to mine the gold, the company for the past two years now has stopped working on its legally acquired gold mining concession due to some challenges.
But according to Nana Adwoa Affiah the Ghanaian illegal small scale miners including scores of chinese nationals have taken advantage of the that and managed to invade the concession of the company.
She disclosed that these illegal miners had used earth moving machines to carry out their illegal gold mining activities on the company's concession without recourse to the law of the country.
She pointed out that these allegations were the attempts being made by these chiefs and their paymasters who invited all these chiefs from the Gwira to Accra to provide evidences to their claims which she stated that they believes is nonexistent.
She described Angama Tuagyan as a dishonest person for leading the delegation of chiefs from Gwira to come to Accra ostensibly to soil the image of Nana Okoben Amponsah who is very instrumental in bringing socio economic development and growth to the area.
The Queen-mother pointed out that they "were surprised to hear that Angama Tuagyan was currently leading the chiefs to attack the integrity of the Okoben Mining Company Limited, forgetting that he is the one who has brought Nana Okoben Amponsah to Gwira to secure 31.5 kilometre square mining concession at Dominase in Gwira.
She mentioned that Angama Tuagyan seeing the legitimacy and truth in Nana Okoben Amponsah, he came to organize meeting to officially introduce Nana Okoben Amponsah to the various elders, and youths in the area.
She asserted that Angama Tuagyan in such meeting told the whole Gwira community that Nana Okoben Amponsah is the legal miner and successful business mogul who has prepared to mine in the area to bring the needed development.
"We are saying that it is very shameful and disgusting that Angama Tuagyan would currently following the instructions of some politicians to come to Accra to fight Nana Okoben Amponsah. It is so sad that that "today Angama Tuagyan having benefited o gotten what he needs from the company, he [Angama Tuagyan] has turned his back at Nana Okoben Amponsah and gone to join the top political personalities in Western Region who are known “ardent enemies of Nana Okoben Amponsah to start fighting Nana Okoben Amponsah without even doing any wrong thing.
"We saying that we the allodial owners of the Gwira stool are not going to sit down unconcern for Angama Tuagyan and his followers to destroy the hard won reputation of Nana Okoben Amponsah because since the miner is working in the area he has brought a lot of social and infrastructure development to the area," the elders warned Angama Tuagyan.
She told the journalists that Nana Okoben Amponsah has the necessary legal and lawful documents covering the land at Dominase and that he has been paying the mandatory royalties to the owners of the Gwira Stool periodically as it was stated in the contractual agreement with the land owners in the area.
The queen mother given an account of the numerous social and infrastructure intervention contributions that Nana Okoben Amponsah has made to the development of the people in the Gwira community and that the business mogul deserves to be commended.
For his part, the Principal Head of the family, Nana Alumenza lll said 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.
He 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 Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (ACT 703).
He said 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 power to present the forms to the National House of Chiefs in Kumasi for final approval.
He 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.
He 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.
He 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.
He 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.
Nana Alu menza lll 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, norms of the Gwira Traditional Area.
Against this background, Nana Alu menza lll urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and 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.
