Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah says former President John Dramani Mahama cannot be trusted to judiciously use the country’s resources to the benefit of the people particularly the youth.
Speaking at a virtual rally, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah alleged that the former President after losing the 2016 elections transferred almost 70 percent of the country’s bauxite deposit to Exton Cubic Limited, a company he said is closely affiliated to Mr. Mahama’s brother, Ibrahim Mahama.
According to him, it took the Nana Addo government after it assumed office in 2017 to reverse the resources Mr. Mahama allocated to his brother’s company to the people of Ghana and the revenue from the bauxite is being expended by the NPP government to provide infrastructural projects and fund the free SHS policy for the development of the country.
Juxtaposing these two acts by both leaders of the two leading political parties, the Minister for Information concluded that Mr. Mahama and his NDC cannot be trusted to utilize the resources of the country to the benefit of the people and urged voters to give President Akufo-Addo and his NPP another term in office since they have a proven track record of investing in the future of the Ghanaian youth.
“In December 2016 when the elections were done and we were preparing for a transition, the administration of the day led by Mr. John Dramani Mahama was working hard to transfer almost 70% of Ghana’s bauxite deposit to a company known as Exton Cubic closely related to Mr. Mahama’s brother,” he said.
He continued: “From 2017, when the Nana Addo administration assumed the reins of power, that bauxite was returned to Ghana and it is today being used to build roads and other infrastructure for the young people of this country to benefit. In whose hands can you trust that the natural resources of this country will be best used for young people? God has blessed us with Gold, Oil etc. but it took Nana Addo to say that the Oil revenue should be used to pay the school fees of Ghanaian children”.
In 2017, the then Minister for Land and Natural Resources, John Peter Amewu declared as invalid and of no effect the mining lease granted Exton Cubic Limited in December 29, 2016 to prospect for bauxite in Nyinahin bauxite site. The minister cited the company’s failure to obtain environmental permit and operational permit, and other statutory violation by the company as the reasons for the revocation of the mining lease.
The equipment of the company affiliated to former president Mahama’s brother was also seized.
But the company protested government’s decision insisting that its operation is within the confines of the law and accused government of illegally seizing its equipment.
Speaking at the 2020 manifesto launch of the NDC, former President Mahama promised to return confiscated mining license, concession and equipment to the rightful owners if he is voted back into office.
The NPP, however, accused him of scheming to return state resources that were successful given back to Ghanaians to his brother’s company.
