Member of Parliament for Effutu and deputy majority leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has denied claims that the forest in Effutu where indigenes haunt for deer during the Aboakyir Festival, has been sold to mine Lithium.
Addressing the press in Parliament today, December 5, 2023, he revealed that the National Democratic Congress office in his constituency has come out with a serious allegation to the effect that government officials including his office sat unconcerned and allowed for the sacred forest of where residents go deer haunting to be sold for the mining of Lithium.
To this, Mr Afenyo-Markin noted that the allegations must be disregarded because they are untrue.
“… I simply want to state that this allegation is false. It is never true and in fact, the Minerals Commission, two years ago issued a statement to the effect that such an application has not even been received by them let alone approved for a company to mine lithium in that sacred forest where we haunt for deer during the Aboakyir Festival.”
Alexander Afenyo-Markin
Furthermore, Mr Afenyo-Markin expressed the need for residents and Ghanaians to exercise discretion, particularly on the kind of stories they tend to believe.
I just want to set the record straight that there is no such thing. I will therefore want to urge my colleagues in the NDC to focus on the real changes facing our people so that we engage in an issue rather than polluting the minds of people, misinforming, and lying. Such a practice does not help in democracy.”
Alexander Afenyo-Markin
Residents protest against sale of forest for mining
Meanwhile, some residents of Effutu in the Central region have taken to the streets to show their displeasure over allegations of the possible sale of the Ramsar site in Winneba to some investors for mining.
The concerned residents clad in red apparel indicated that the site being given to the investor is the same site they use in hunting deer for the annual Aboakyire festival.
The demonstration comes months after the discovery of lithium in large quantities in Effutu and other parts of the Central Region was put before Parliament.
The residents warned that they would halt the operations of the mining company. They further insisted that the exploration would destroy the reserve which has been there for several years.
Solomon, one of the protesters, expressed disappointment in the move.
“We heard that the land that we use to celebrate our festival is being sold but that land is where we use for our festival and that is where our fetish priest is as well. We have heard that they have discovered some diamonds and gold on that land. If they touch that land, it means that they will destroy our properties, so we the youth in Winneba have decided that we won’t allow them to touch that land.”
Solomon
Moreover, another protester highlighted his concern over the type of chemical which will be used in mining the lithium. He noted that the chemicals “will affect the sea and destroy our fish. If the land was being [sold] like we won’t come and meet it”.
Prior to this, the Minerals Commission responded to concerns raised by traditional authorities in Effutu that a company had been granted the mineral right to mine in the forest.
The Commission stated that it had not granted any permit for mining in the forest.
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