Host of Good Evening Ghana on Metro TV, Paul Adom-otchere has asked former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng to bow his head down in shame if he deliberately leaked his damning report on the fight against illegal mining to hurt the governing New Patriotic Party which he is a member.
Mr. Adom-otchere claimed that the former minister had put together the report in a bid to exonerate himself and earn a place in the second term of the Akufo-Addo’s administration after he picked signals that the president was not impressed with his stewardship as Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining and was likely not to retain him.
However, after his attempts to absolve himself of blame for the failure of the committee which, was set up to tackle illegal mining, and to secure reappointment failed, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, out of bitterness, released the report to anti-government media, the TV host further claimed.
“Frimpong Boating was concerned that he is not hearing anything from the president. So he went to see chief of staff. It’s there that this report was generated. So Chief of Staff was reported to have told him that ‘Prof, the president is quiet disappointed in the way in which this whole galamsey thing that he put in charge has become and therefore, he has not mentioned your name,” he said on his show.
“He was hoping that by this report he would be considered for reappointment. And now, he didn’t get reappointment so he got angry so we suspect he took the report and gave it to Omuofia journalists to do yellow work”.
This, for him, is an act of disloyalty on the part of the physician as his action could hurt the fortunes of the NPP in the next election.
“I’m not sure whether he was aware that he was hurting the NPP or he wasn’t but if he was then Frimpong Boateng should bow his head down in shame. If he knew that he’s hurting the party that he belongs to and trying put out some people and give fodder to the opposition then he should bow down his head in shame”.
In an incriminating report which has found it way into the public domain after gathering dust at the presidency for 2 years, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng named top members of the NPP and the government allegedly involved in the illegal mining menace known in local parlance as ‘galamsey’ and those who he claimed frustrated the efforts of the IMCIM which he chaired from curbing the canker.
Some of the officials named including the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and the president’s cousin, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko have vehemently denied undermining the works of the committee.
The presidency has also responded, dismissing the former minister’s report as “a catalogue of personal grievances” and “hearsay”.
But the Minority in Parliament and some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) insist the allegations cannot be glanced over and should be independently investigated.
A member of the Minority and MP for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor has since, through his lawyers, petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to probe the matter which bothers on corruption, conflict of interest among others.
