Opagyakotwere Bonsra Afriyie II, the Adansihene
THE CHIEFS of Adansi Traditional Area in the Ashanti Region are angry over unpaid mining royalties due them from Anglogold since October 2012, an incident they claim has impoverished them.
The Adansihene, Opagyakotwere Bonsra Afriyie II, lamented that the chiefs in the area were unable to supplement government’s developmental projects because of the non-payment of their royalties for the past three years.
He stated that it is unacceptable for the chiefs to be denied their royalties for such a long span thereby creating financial difficulties for them. He called for the right thing to be done about their situation.
Bonsra Afriyie II appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to personally intervene so that the issue would be resolved once-and-for-all to lessen the burden on the chiefs.
The Adansihene was speaking during the opening of the ultra-modern Horsey Lorry Park Terminal at Obuasi, which was constructed under the able-leadership of Hon. Richard Ofori Agyeman Boadi, the Obuasi MCE.
Bonsra Afriyie II charged Vice President Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, who graced the historic occasion, to relay the concerns of the Adansi chiefs, regarding the non-payment of the mining royalties, to President Mahama.
He also expressed concern about the upsurge in reported cases of HIV/AIDS in the country, especially Obuasi which is ranked second in the country.
Bonsra Afriyie II charged government to put in place mechanisms to test foreigners that would enter the country for HIV/AIDS to help reduce the pandemic.
The Adansihene suspected that some foreigners were spreading the HIV/AIDS in the country therefore if the country’s borders are tightened it would go a long way to curb the spread of the disease.
He also tasked government to form a special task force that would be visiting communities to educate people about the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS, saying radio adverts about the disease is not working as expected.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Obuasi, Ashanti