Upper East Regional Minister Stephen Yakubu has refuted claims that he has given concessions or killed businesses belonging to some indigenous people operating at the Gbane mining site in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region to the Chinese mining company Earl International.
As an individual, I have no right to take away anyone’s business or concession.
According to an article published by Apexnewsgh.com, on Friday, January 27, 2023, the Regional Minister provided an exclusive response to Ngamegbulam Stephen of Apexnewsgh.com in response to allegations made by aggrieved mining actors and stakeholders in the region.
The Regional Minister stated, that he does not have the authority to accept any other person’s concession.
“Do I work with Mineral Commission?” that he does not have the authority to accept any other person’s concession. Is my business Earl International? The issue is that the company they are discussing—Earl International—possessed a license, which was signed by the Minister at the time in 2019.”do I work with Mineral Commission?” he does not have the authority to accept any other person’s concession. Is my business Earl International? The issue is that the company they are discussing—Earl International—possessed a license, which was signed by the Minister at the time in 2019.
From what I understand, the license has been ratified by parliament, and if you dig deeper into the matter, you will discover that individuals were not even pleased that they have granted the concession.
That is the responsibility of a ministry here. Therefore, Earl International did not receive that concession from the Regional Minister, and it occurred in 2019, 2019—was I still here? I was not present.
He continued by insisting, “It wasn’t me who signed the large-scale mining, and I wasn’t even here when it was signed.” I entered when the small-scale miners were agitating because the documentation exists for unblocking and granting the small-scale miners’ concession to large-scale mining.
The Minister said that when he arrived in the area, the miners began negotiating with the company, and there were a lot of problems and commotion. “But, the issue was how the company is going to compensate them,” he said. “I even came to meet it when they were negotiating, and they were having a lot of problems there.
The people were agitating at a time that whatever the company was giving to them, they were not happy with it.” They met a lot in Akayet and the Alisa Hotel, and they were trying to find common ground so that the company could sort them out.
“Is the same small-scale miners who came to me to express their displeasure that they are negotiating but do not comprehend their options. Ask the same Charles how many times he has visited my house in the early morning to beg me to try to help so that the company can compensate them.
Call him and inquire if he has been here to inform me of this. I have evidence that Charles himself has instructed me to assist them. He insisted, “Charles and the company were in court. Ask him if they didn’t even say that the regional minister was helping to broker the peace deal with them in that court?” As a result, they were constantly required to extend the time so that we could examine it.
Therefore, if we have examined it and he is dissatisfied with the company’s offer, can he not simply state, “Minister, I am dissatisfied with this arrangement and want to go back to the company to negotiate by myself?” Will I then prevent him from doing so? He asked: