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Okyenhene: How can I steal from my own property

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The Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panyin II, says he won’t be stampeded to give up the fight against illegal gold mining in his traditional area. According to him, as the custodian of the land, it is his responsibility to safeguard all the natural resources of Akyem Abuakwa for posterity. Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panyin II has been accused of being behind illegal gold mining operations within the traditional area. Odehye Nana Agyei Boateng from the Asona Royal Family alleged that the Okyenhene was sponsoring the illegal gold operations in the Akyem State. The Akyem Traditional Council in a quick rebuttal denied the claims, noting that the mining activity cited by the Okyenhene's accuser is actually being conducted by an entity that has met all the legal requirements. Odehye Nana Agyei Boateng, unable to substantiate his claims was given a one week ultimatum to pay a fine of 72 sheeps and 36 crates of schnapps or would be banished from Okyeman. However, the Okyenhene who was the special guest of honour of the 1st annual Natioal CSR Conference in Ghana, stated unequivocally that “if I want to do mining no one can stop me. Why would I hide and steal my own property?”. “When you stand on the side of good, you are vilified but it would not deter me in my fight against galamsey operations in the Akyem State,” he stressed. Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panyin II worried by the alarming rate of the illegal mining in his area called on the government to review the laws on mining in the country and offer stiffer punishment for people found culpable in illegal acts. The Okyenhene, touching on the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) urged organizations to make environmentally related issues key components in their social responsibility programmes to impact positively in the communities within which they operate. He noted that environmental issues must be given a human face so that the policies and regulations would be enforced to check the abuse of the environment. Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panyin II advocated for environmental issues to be included in the educational curriculum for sustainable development.

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.