Contrary to claims by the popular broadcaster of Onua fm Blessed Godsbrain Smart that the Municipal Chief Executive ordered his boys to disrupt his Onua maakye program in Obuasi, Hon Elijah Adansi-Bonah has said Captain Smart did not notify the Assembly nor the security details in Obuasi before hosting the program at the Central Business District.
According to the Mce in a press conference in Obuasi, he got to know Captain Smart was coming to host a program in Obuasi on the eve of the program on Tuesday through somebody.
He refuted the allegation by Captain Smart that he was with the Mce prior to the program. ” I only heard Captain Smart was coming to town on Tuesday through somebody and even that, he said the program will rather come off at Tutuka in Obuasi East and not the Obuasi Municipal”.
Hon Adansi-Bonah said he later on the same day heard that the organisers of the program had moved it from Tutuka to the Obuasi Municipality. He intimated that, in all, Captain Smart and his people did not seek the permission of the Assembly to host the program at the CBD.
The taskforce of the Assembly led by one ‘Afar’ charged to maintain law and order at the Obuasi Central Business District only confronted Captain Smart and his crew to stop the program and go for permit and pay the required amount to the Assembly.
The venue of the program was a designated revenue point
The Obuasi MCE said due to the fact that Captain Smart and his crew failed to seek permit from the Assembly to use the venue as has been the practise, the Assembly lost revenue.
He said ” the venue is a designated On-street parking lot which is one of the revenue streams of the Assembly. Since we were not notified by the orgainers of the program, the Assembly lost so much in revenue on the day”
He said the Assembly decided to allow them to do the program on the first day because they had the impression that the program was only a day’s program but was shocked to know that the program would travel beyond 2 days and even that, Captain Smart and his crew did not seek approval from the Assembly to use the venue.
Breach of security and heightening already tensed atmosphere
Hon. Elijah Adansi-Bonah in the press conference revealed that prior to Captain Smart coming to Obuasi, he had already incited the youth of Obuasi against management of AngloGold Ashanti and the company in one of his morning shows.
He said his presence in Obuasi and engagement with the same galamseyers he had incited was a security risk yet, Captain Smart failed to notify the Police to even know of the security implications of his program and to seek for the right advise.
“Captain Smart said he did not know Obuasi was divided into two”
According to the MCE, a Police officer who was in the company of Captain Smart phoned and told him Captain Smart had alleged that he brought a letter to the Obuasi East District to host the program there and not the Obuasi Municipal Assembly.
He said, Captain Smart said he did not know Obuasi had been divided into two; the Obuasi Municipal and the Obuasi East District.
The Mce said, he had to call the Obuasi East DCE to ascertain if Captain Smart brought a letter to her to host his program at Tutuka, the Dce denied knowledge of any letter from Captain Smart.
Again, the Police officer told him that, he had sent a letter to the Chief of staff and the Regional Minister about his program. The Mce said he asked Captain Smart to produce those letters yet to no avail.
“We will not allow AngloGold Ashanti to go down”
Whiles disputing that he has a bodyguard, the Obuasi Municipal Chief Executive further stated that the Assembly will not allow anybody to disrupt the activities of AngloGold Ashanti.
” Though we all concede that AngloGold Ashanti has not been able to employ the chunk of the population, we will not allow anybody to use that as an excuse to cause tension and disrupt their activities “
He stated that Captain Smart had an agenda to cause disaffection for AngloGold Ashanti but said the Assembly and security will not allow that to happen.
He said ” we will not allow what happened in 2016 where AngloGold Ashanti threatened to leave the country to happen again. I call on residents of Obuasi to speak against all those who want AGA to go down. As an Assembly, we will not allow that to happen”
A call on the Security
Hon Elijah Adansi-Bonah called on the Police Service and the National security to come together to protect AngloGold Ashanti and ‘fight’ those who want to disrupt the activities of the Mine.
He further reiterated that the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor has set up a taskforce led by the Deputy minister George Mireku Duker to look int the concerns of the illegal miners. He again called on the illegal miners to remain calm as the committee works to bring a lasting solution to the matter.
