The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Peter Amewu, has confirmed that his Ministry granted Exton Cubic Group Limited an entry permit into the Nyinahin bauxite concession in the Tano Offin Forest reserve to prospect for Bauxite.
The Minister’s clarification follows some confusion that led to the seizure of mining equipment belonging to Ibrahim Mahama’s Engineers and Planners (E&P), which was to do some preparatory work in the forest for Exton Cubic.
Reports surfaced that Exton Cubic and E&P were operating illegally in the forest but the mining company refuted the claims noting that it had legally acquired the Nyinahini Bauxite concession as far back as August 14, 2013.
Exton Cubic Group accused the Ashanti Regional Minister of unlawfully ordering the impounding of E&P’s vehicles and detaining its officers.
The company’s assertion that it was operating legally was corroborated by Mr. Amewu who confirmed that it had been given the go ahead in 2013.
“This project commenced somewhere in 2013. They began the due diligence processes through which they were granted the prospective lease around 2015. They have the entry permit from the Forestry Commission and the necessary EPA was done during the exploration period.”
He noted that Exton Cubic was still within the exploration framework which is to end in December 2017, “but the mining lease has been granted in December.”
“What that mining lease does is for him to go back and start the whole processes again; going through the application for forest entry permit, the EPA processes and a lot of things that will need to be done.”
“As it stands now, he has the mining lease, he has the entry permit to enter the forest but the EPA and other things that are very important have not yet been granted and he has also not been granted an operating permit which will finally mandate him to do the production.”
Minister awaiting official documents
Speaking to Citi News earlier, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah said he was waiting on official documentation from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources before releasing vehicles and equipment belonging to E&P.
According to him, he was told by Mr. Amewu, that only three mining companies were operating in the Ashanti Region; AngloGold Ashanti in Obuasi, Asanko Gold and Oware Mines limited at Konongo. “so if there are any amendments, it should be communicated to us.”
Thus any developments must be communicated to the region, he said.
Source: citifmonline.com
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Give the Minister for Lands and Mines a little credit. He did not say that Ibrahim Mahama has the right to go ahead and do what he likes. Hon Amewu just stated the facts: Exton Cubic has been given a mining license, and if it wants to do a full-scale operation it must go through the whole process ALL OVER AGAIN, seeking clearance from all MMDAs concerned, including the same Lands and Mines, the Forestry Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, etc, etc. We all know that the contract will fail. Once again, Hon Amewu is being smart and diplomatic. Remember how he played the Chinese?? Let's not rush to judgment!
Go and grant him a license in your hometown or better still let him go mine at Bole Bamboi. Not in the Ashanti Region. We are not ***barred word*** Mr Minister. You chase us like dogs after voting for you and you give people permit to come and destroy our forest. You must be insane to think you will get away with this.
Is it not the same forest you are preaching about that is going to be destroyed? You shoot your own people and you are happy to give another a license to go and destroy the forest. God will punish you. Am smelling some brown envelope here.
Amewu, i think you are out of your mind. It seems like you want to lose your job. There are many people who can handle that ministry better than what you are doing right now in this case. If you want to replaced, continue following Ibrahim Mahama. You will be sacked and Mahama will be kicked out of the concession too. That is when you see what a fooooooooooool you have been. Continue supporting mahama.
a proper minister would not entertain Ibrahim Mahama's fooolish contrac. I am not surprised that Amewu has been foooooooooooooled by this guy. Nobody in Ashanti in his right mind will allow Mahama to go near any of the resources there. Sack Amewu and replace him with a better person.
It looks like Amewu has forgotten what voting for change means. It looks like we need a different lands / natural resource minister. Everybody knows that Ibrahim Mahama is toxic. Amewu has foooooooolishly let Mahama family's toxic incompetence contaminate him. All too soon I think we need to change this lands/natural resource minister.
We don't care. We are tired of people in Accra plundering the resources of the rural areas without having proper consultations with them. Amewu can say what he wants, but the biggest stakeholders and those who stands to lose most are the people of Nyinahini and Ashanti region. You cannot continue to sit in Accra and chose who can steal, plunder and loot the resources of a rural area. If Mahama thinks he can do what he likes, he should leave Accra and go with the army and sleep with his machines in the forest. Otherwise, if he likes, he should stay in Accra and leave his machines in the ***barred word***, we shall see whether the place belongs to him or to the people who live there. Amewu, becareful. It is only 8 months and you seem to have forgotten who put you there. We will remind you. Wait and see. You will surely be reminded.
The village Ashanti ***barred word*** Regional minister shd make ***barred word*** noise again