FLASHBACK: I don’t do galamsey, I construct roads - Chairman Wontumi

The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party in February 2020, shot down allegations against him of being involved in illegal mining.

According to Chairman Wontumi, his stability as a businessman has been the construction of roads and not illegal mining activities.

Read the full article as first published by mynews.com.gh below:

Ashanti Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) Bernard Antwi Boasiako affectionately known as ‘Chairman Wontumi’ has clarified that he is not involved in any illegal mining popularly referred to as ‘galamsey’ in the country but is a certified road contractor working on major government road-projects in the country, MyNewsGh.com reports.

The Chairman distancing himself from a viral video making rounds on social media which mentions him as an illegal miner contradicting his party’s position of fighting ‘galamsey’ stated that he hasn’t been involved in mining activities since 2014 when ex-President Mahama collapsed his business so it will be wrong for anyone to refer to him as a ‘galamseyer.’

The NPP executive revealed that he had been living on his life savings and proceeds from his ‘Wontumi farms’ since 2014 after the collapse of his business until the NPP came to power in 2016 that he has been awarded some road contracts stating emphatically that he can never forgive ex-President Mahama for the hell he has put him through.

Commenting on the viral video which mentions him as a key official involved in the ‘galamsey’ activity, the Chairman intimated that although he has a legitimate licensed mining concession in his name, some Chinese nationals and persons not affiliated to him were seen recently mining on his land but he has caused their arrest and seizure of their equipment of which suspended NPP Vice Chairman of the Agona West Constituency, Ekow Ewusi bears witness to.

He reiterated that it will be wrong for anyone to associate him with illegal mining in the country as a licensed road contractor, he hasn’t ventured into mining for over six years but has been doing some government roads like the Wioso-Mpasaaso roads which are near completion in the Ahafo-Ano South District in the Ashanti region.

Chairman Wontumi, however, indicated that the President hasn’t failed in his ‘galamsey’ fight but the Ghanaian populace must appreciate that the illegal mining has been with us since the Portuguese came to Ghana so it can’t be put to a stop easily.

He made these comments in an interview on Metro TV monitored by MyNewsGh.com.