General News of Sunday, 25 September 2022
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2022-09-25Nana Akomea 'clashes' with Okudzeto Ablakwa over Aisha Huang post
Nana Akomea and Okudzeto Ablakwa
Nana Akomea, the Managing Director of the State Transport Company has cautioned the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa against politicizing discussions around the arrest and prosecution of alleged galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang.
Nana Akomea protested a paragraph in Ablakwa’s social media post in which the MP sought to impugn President Akufo-Addo and Vice President
Read full articleBawumia for not showing leadership.
Nana Akomea holds that turning the issue into a political discussion could lead to the escape of Aisha Huang.
He cited instances in which Aisha Huang was arrested under the previous regime but was freed following an order by the Ashanti Regional Minister then.
His reprimand led to some exchanges between him and Ablakwa who admitted that a national discourse needed to be had on the issues.
Akomea: I haven’t read the whole thing but as usual there is political mischief. I can see in paragraph 14 ( goes on to read it). He can’t resist the partisan posturing and you come and sit here and say that we should conduct this fight devoid of partisanship.
Ablakwa: Leadership is a problem.
Nana Akomea: If leadership is the problem, Aisha Huang did not come into the country today under the current government. That is the problem you fester. This Fabian matter that you mentioned, are you aware this woman was arrested in the Ashanti Region in 2015 and her excavators were seized and then the Ashanti Regional Minister at the time made them release the excavators? He said the excavators were seized without his knowledge.
Ablakwa: He must be made to answer. That’s why I’m calling for a full national probe into it.
Akomea: When you try to do your partisan bit and say that Akufo-Addo and Bawumia should have known about it and other things, you muddled the waters. If you are not careful, you turn it into a partisan thing and the woman will escape. The woman got a resident permit in 2015 under a certain leadership so if someone says the Mahama-Amissah Arthur government should have known this, you just turn it into another NPP-NDC banter. That’s what I’m cautioning you against.
Before the brief banter, Nana Akomea called an investigation and possible prosecution of all public officials involved in the Aisha Huang saga.
He bemoaned the destruction of the river bodies by the activities of Aisha Huang and other illegal miners and called for immediate action.
“As part of the broader investigation and prosecution, many of these officials who appended their signatures to permits and licenses and authorization for this woman should be brought to book. It’s obvious that she managed to compromise a lot of people in this journey to engage in the activities she engaged in. We’ve been told that she was arrested several times before 2016 but was never tried and every time she was arrested, she managed to free herself.
After 20176, she was arrested and repatriated and now she’s come back and the law enforcement has gotten hold of her and all of us hope this time she won’t get away with it. Her activities have brought her national notoriety.”
Aisha Huang is facing trial following her rearrest. Aisha Huang is facing two charges; mining without a license and sale of minerals without a license.
The court on September 14, 2022, denied Aisha Huang and 3 other accused persons bail after they pleaded not guilty.
She is expected to reappear on September 27, 2022.
