The decision by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr. John Peter Amewu to re-appoint Mr. Joseph Yaw Aboagye as the Director of Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of the Minerals Commission has set tongues wagging at both the Ministry and the Commission.
Mr. Aboagye who held the same portfolio prior to May 2014 was seconded to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources following a series of allegations and incidents bordering on integrity and accountability relative to the issuance of mineral titles and licences among others.
Our investigative team has sighted a letter signed by the Chief Director of the Ministry, Prof. Bruce Banoeng-Yakubo dated March 7, 2017 which cites the Minister's directive as the basis for Mr. Aboagye's return to the Minerals Commission.
"I have been directed by the Minister, Hon. John Peter Amewu to inform you of the decision for Mr. Joseph Yaw Aboagye to return to the Minerals Commission as Director, Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation with immediate effect", emphasized Prof. Banoeng-Yakubo in his letter to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Minerals Commission.
Apparently, upon receipt of the Chief Director's letter conveying the Minister’s directive, the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Mr. Tony Aubryn on March 13, 2017, instructed the Senior Estate Officer of the Commission to prepare Room 208 for Mr. Aboagye temporarily.
However, Mr. Aboagye's return to his former post has set tongues wagging at the Ministry, the Commission and among some members of Parliament. Questions are being asked as to the status of the incidents and allegations which informed his secondment to the Ministry in May 2014.
A parliamentary source hinted our investigative team that the Parliamentary Select Committee on Energy and Mining in the last Parliament had some serious challenges with the conduct of Mr. Aboagye; and that those challenges were not unconnected with his secondment from the Minerals Commission to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources in 2014.
References were made to a series of allegations and incidents in media publications particularly in the Daily GUIDE and The Ghanaian Observer which have not yet been thoroughly investigated and/or adequately dealt with.
Mr. Aboagye, according to our sources at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, has had the tendency to project his alleged NPP connections and always believed that his secondment to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources was politically motivated.
"Mr. Aboagye had always claimed that his secondment to the Ministry was a case of political victimization. And so for him, his return to his former post is a case of political restoration or vindication. The veracity or otherwise of the allegations against him is immaterial in the context of 2016 Election Victory of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)", quipped an official at the Ministry who spoke to our investigative team on condition of strict confidentiality.
In another development, our preliminary checks point to Mr. Aboagye's "business interests" in two mining companies namely Xtra Gold in the Eastern Region and Shanxi Mining in the Upper East Region. Activities and operations of these two companies in and outside their areas of operations are currently on our investigative radar. And the details of our findings would be made available to the public as and when they are ready.
We are also following some critical leads on alleged dealings between Mr. Aboagye and some highly-placed officials at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Minerals Commission on one hand and some foreign(mainly Chinese) companies on the other.
Stay tuned.....
Source: New Crusading Guide
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DANGEROUS RETURN OF YAW ABOAGYE INTO THE MINERAL TITLES ADMINISTRATION IN THE MINERALS COMMISSION Mr. Joseph Yaw Aboagye was the Director responsible for Mineral Titles administration in the Minerals Commission and held the position for over thirteen years before his sudden transfer to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources as the Director – Statistics, Research and Information Management (SRIM). Why would a Director with so many years’ experience in Mineral titles administration be suddenly transferred? Here lies part of the reasons behind the sudden transfer. Under the Directorship of Mr. Aboagye came with the influx of the Chinese nationals into the small scale mining sector with its unprecedented destruction of our water bodies and land degradation of our farm lands. One time I confronted some chiefs in the Amansie District about the wanton destruction of water bodies and the farmlands and a chief was brunt that if you want to get to the root cause of the Chinese and their planned agenda of killing all our water bodies here go and ask Mr. Aboagye in the Minerals Commission. Every forth night he sends his agents to go around collecting his percentage from these Chinees you see over there and so they don’t even regard us as part of the human race. He has also been neck deep in the operations of a Chinese company called Shaanxi Mining in Upper East Region. At some point in time, Shaanxi submitted only a geological report and Mr. Aboagye literally forced the hands of his officers to issue the company with a mining lease save the resilience of some of them, the company would have been granted a mining lease without going through the preparation of feasibility study. During the tenure of Mr. Aboagye licences were granted haphazardly in the Minerals Commission for his own personal financial gains no wonder immediately after his exit, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources had to impose a moratorium to clean up the concession registry and to sanitize the title administration. He is alleged to have benefited through his nefarious dealings a brand new BMW X6, E-Class Mercedes Benz and a mighty house at Ogbojo here in Accra. Interestingly, immediately he got wind of his impending transfer he feigned sickness with the hope that it was going to win him sympathy but the centre did not hold for him. He had a Ghanaian who has been his life partner and granted as many as seventeen (17) prospecting licences for him to be holding on to and soliciting for foreigners to sell these concessions to. Already some rumors are flying in the Minerals Commission that some powerful elements in the current regime are scheming to return Mr. Yaw Aboagye into the system and they have vowed to embark on a massive demonstration that will not only tarnish the reputation of the current Government but will also bring out all bad dealings of Mr. Aboagye into the public domain. Bringing such a person back into the system will be nothing but recreate the chaotic system and the indiscipline associated with his tenure in the mineral industry.
When is coming! Bad English but politicians not people to trust.
They have already failed before starting.
Oh, Ghanaian politicians, when are they going to solve our problems for us.We vote for them and when they come into office, all that they are interested in is to appease their political cronies but no the suffering masses. When the the minister going to end galamsey in the country?Very soon, there will be no land for farming, no drinking water, no water for the generation of electricity,food will be contaminated with mercury and people will be homeless.It is only after these unfortunate incidents before the politicians will shed crocodile tears that they will want to address our environmental problems for us. It will be too late then.