Leave Okoben Mining Company Limited Alone! ---Tufuhene of Gwira Assuawuah Descends On Awulae Angama Tu-Agyan II & Other Chiefs
According to him, the various accusations levelled against the company by these chiefs were because they connived with some top politicians in the Western Region to take over the legal and genuinely acquired concession at Dominase in Gwira to give out to the illegal foreign nationals (Chinese illegal miners) to mine gold resources.
Freeman Koryekpor 
iTufuhene of Assuawuah in Gwira Traditional Area in the Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira Municipality of the Western Region, Nana Addae Blay V, has expressed disappointment in Paramount Chief of Gwira, Awulae Angama Tu-Agyan II, Chief of Gwira Banso, Nana Ette Akrade II and the Chief of Gwira Abelebu, Nana Dominle Mieza II for what he terms as wrongly attacks meted out to the Managing Director (MD) of Okoben Mining Mining Company Limited, Nana Okoben Amponsah.
According to him, the various accusations levelled against the company by these chiefs were because they connived with some top politicians in the Western Region to take over the legal and genuinely acquired concession at Dominase in Gwira to give out to the illegal foreign nationals (Chinese illegal miners) to mine gold resources.
Nana Addae Blay V was responding to the current outburst by the aforementioned chiefs who launched physical war against the gold mining company of Nana Okoben Amponsah without any wrong doing.
Tufuhene of Gwira Assuawuah was speaking in an interview with Metro Television in Accra on Sunday February 12, 2023 which was on the topic "No To Galamsey."
He rubbished the wide spread media reports attributed to these chiefs that the activities of the company has polluted river Akonbra and neglected the chiefs and elders of Gwira of paying royalties.
However, the statement made by Nana Addae Blay V statements had confirmed the earlier submission made by some of the prominent traditional office holders in Gwira including the Adotenhene of Tumiatu in the Gwira, Nana Kpole Antoanah V, Paramount Queen-mother of Gwira, Nana Adwoa Affiah and the Principal Head of the Amanrakpanyim Family of Gwria, Nana Alumenza lll who had jumped into the defence of the company and said that the gold mining firm has done no wrong.
Nana Addae Blay V pointed out that Nana Okoben Amponsah's company is keen of ensuring that there are toilet facilities, potable drinking water, roads, environmental sanitation, health, education infrastructure, sports for the youths and good welfare services for citizens/residents in Gwira Traditional Area.
"Since Nana Okoben Amponsah has secured his concession at Dominase in Gwira from the traditional authorities and got the necessary legal license (s) from the state mining regulatory institutions including Minerals Commission and Environmental Protection Agency, we, the traditional authorities have been monitoring the gold mining activities of miner.
"...And that we can state without fear that Nana Okoben Amponsah's company has been using legal means to work on its gold concession and put pragmatic and security measures in place to fight galamseyers from destroying the river Akonbra and environment including the forest range reserves, he noted.
He told stated that "if had it not because of Okoben Amponsah who comes to Gwira to secure these tracks of the lands for the gold mining concession, thousands of illegal miners, particularly foreign national ones should have invaded these lands and indiscriminately mine the gold illegally and unlawfully to destroy the lands as at now."
Mincing no words, the chief described as a completely unacceptable and worrying the current habits of these aforementioned chiefs to transport from Gwira to Accra to use various television media platforms and press conferences to launch physical war against the Nana Okoben Amponsah.
He stressed that the claimed of the chiefs that they were helping the government in the fight against illegal small scale mining activities in the area that was why they making such statement is completely hoax and lies.
He stressed that there were pieces envidence which attests to the fact that these chiefs had exhibited these evil plots against the company because they want the government to officially revoke the licence(s) from the Okoben Mining Company Limited.
Nana Addae Blay V disclosed that these self seeking chiefs have been in league with some top politicians in the Western Region to make these disparage statements against Nana Okoben Amponsah because they planned with some illegal foreign national miners to get ride of Okoben's company from its legally and lawfully acquired gold mining concession at Dominase in Gwira.
He maintained that they suspected that Nana Addo Dankwa has become an enemy and target of these chiefs of Gwira because they planned to take over his concession to give out to illegal foreign nationals Chinese miners to mine to share the profits.
"But l am assuring the general public that we the traditional office holders who are strongly backing Nana Okoben Amponsah are not going to allow these chiefs to push their evil agendas," Nana Addae Blay V vowed.
He stressed that looking at the huge contributions being made by Nana Okoben Amponsah by improving social and infrastructure development in Gwira, the well wishing chiefs and citizens of Gwira would be the last persons to sit down idle for those devilish chiefs to sabotage Nana Okoben Amponsah and his company.
He maintained that Nana Okoben Amponsah has showed gross respect to all the traditional office holders, chiefs queen-mothers in Gwira including his host mining communities.
Speaking further, Nana Addae Blay V pointed out that it was not true that the gold mining activities of Okoben have destroyed river Akonbra, explaining that the company's gold mining concession is 700 metres away from river Akonbra, reaffirming that the Nana Okoben Amponsah is rather protecting that stretch of the lands for the people in Gwira.
The chief pointed out that he thought that these chiefs who were destroying the name of Okoben would rather support the government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in flushing out these illegal foreign nationals who had invaded the communities such Sefwi Asawinso, Diaso, Wassa Jokwaa, Wassa Akropong, Hiawa Bekwai, Prestea, Pepoase, Gwira Wiaso Gwira Tumantu,Gwira Banso.
These communities, the traditional office holder noted are the source of the river Akonbra, saying that the illegal mining activities of the these illegal Chinese galamseyers from these above mentioned communities have rather polluted the River Akonbra but not the activities of the company which is committed to responsible mining.
Nana Addae Blay V said the Minerals Commission of Ghana has also clarified that the Okoben is a responsible mining company which activities has not violated the Minerals and Mining laws and the company respect the water bodies, forest range reserves and environment.
"I wondered why these chiefs were accusing the company of doing galamsey activities but if you come to Gwira Asowa, you would see thousands of illegal Chinese miners who had invaded the area and indiscriminately mining gold resources on the blind side of national security officers and military galamsey taskforce.
On allegations of Okoben's neglection of the chiefs and elders of Gwira, Nana Addae Blay V debunked the claim.
He noted that there are pieces of documentary envidences which clearly showed that the gold company is committed in providing jobs, paying taxes and royalties, sourcing with local businesses, investing in community programmes and infrastructure, and fostering mutually beneficial relationships remain crucial for the company’s long term success and ability to be a catalyst for sustainable socio-economic development.
The chief added that the company is also committed to strong and good corporate governance, multi-stakeholder engagement, and transparency around payments to local and central governments in order to increase accountability, develop trust, create mutual value and reduce corruption.
He added that per their records, the company has supported essential government services and programmes, and raise the standard of the people in its host host communities within the Gwira Traditional Area.
The chief disclosed that the company has first built two mechanised boreholes for the Gwira Asowa community, adding that one of the facilities is currently being used by the people in the country.
He noted that the other water facility is in the completing stage, adding that the company classroom building blocks for some schools in Gwira Traditional Area.
He said that the company has assured them that when it finishes the construction of the boreholes, it would start to build 10-seater ultra modern water closet toilet facilities for community, because there were no water closet toilet facility in Gwira Asowa.
"The company is committed in paying its royalists to the traditional authorities in Gwira Traditional Stool including custodial owners of the lands of where its concession was located in the municipality," he stressed.
He revealed that on January 1, 2013, Nana Okoben Amponsah brought his royalties to the Nananom of Gwira Stool.
"Nana Okoben Amponsah as l am talking to you today, he said he brought part of his royalties to the Nananom." These royalists were even being taken by the chief liguists of Akpansie in the private residence of Nana Okoben Amponsah in Tarkwa," the chief disclosed.
"So when l heard that some chiefs came to Nzema FM and Accra to say that Nana Okoben Amponsah's company has destroyed river Akonbra and also failed to honour its agreement to pay royalties to the stool, these allegations came to me as a surprise," Nana Addae Blay V narrated.
According to Nana Addae Blay V, when he was installed in 2017, he challenged the legality of Okoben, saying that when he visited the Tarkwa office of the Minerals Commission to verify whether the company has a legal require license (s) to operate in Gwira, the officials of commission responded to him that they are dealing with the company and that if the company violated its mineral and mining laws it would not be spared.
"We are calling on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the NPP government 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 mischievous and one-sided vicious trial by media.
To this end, the chief urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and general public to disregard the claims by Angama Tuagyan and his followers, saying that the traditional authorities of Gwira have not banned the Okoben from mining on its gold mining concession at Dominase.
