after would-be Chinese supplanter of Exton Cubic chickened out
President Akufo-Addos alleged orchestration to deprive Ibrahim Mahama, younger brother of former President John Mahama, of a bauxite concession that his company won in 2016 has allegedly come full cycle and ended in scandalous nepotism.
The President is alleged to have gifted Exton Cubics bauxite concession at Nyinahini in the Ashanti Region, to a brother of his.
Sammy Gyamfi, National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) names the said brother as Paul Amoako-Atta.
Paul is said to be a geologist by profession, and has, since being gifted the concession in 2018, been cleared to re-prospect for bauxite at Nyinahini, in spite of Exton Cubics license.
According to Sammy Gyamfi, the depths of the nepotism involved in the Paul Amoako-Atta supplant of Exton Cubic, includes the fact that President Akufo-Addo has given his brother State money for the prospecting activity.
As the NDCs National Communication Officer puts it, President Akufo-Addo packed millions of State money and handed it to his brother for the purpose of prospecting for bauxite on Exton Cubics concession.
The NDC points out that the gross nepotism involved worsens President Akufo-Addos image as the most nepotistic President in the world.
Sammy Gyamfi details that, Paul Amoako-Atta eventually becoming the owner of Exton Cubics bauxite mine concession at Nyinahini amounts to President Akufo-Addos vindictiveness against former President Mahamas younger brother, coming full cycle.
The NDC Communication Officer reveals that before he would gift the concession to his brother, President Akufo-Addos cousin, Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, had traveled to China to proposition Chinas Sinohydro to come and replace Exton Cubic on the Nyinahini bauxite concession.
The Chinese had however turned down the invitation after they realized that the scope of works involved was a prohibitively expensive one.
This is why President Akufo-Addo, allegedly doled out millions of State cash to his brother Paul, so that Paul can replace Exton Cubic on the concession. According to Sammy Gyamfi, the money was allocated to Mr. Paul Amoako-Atta through the 2018 budget.
Sammy Gyamfi also took time to address what he said were lies and deliberate half-truths that the NPP has been peddling about Ibrahim Mahamas acquisition of the Nyinahini bauxite concession.
He points out that prospecting for bauxite at Nyinahini in the Ashanti Region had started from the era of former President Kufuor. Kufuor had first invited Canadian mining company, Alcan, to do the prospecting in 2004. The Canadians tried but gave up in frustration later.
In 2007, President Kufuor invited in American mining company, Alcoa. The Americans were also not successful. After the Americans, a Russian company also came to prospect for bauxite on the same concession but also gave up after giving it a try.
After the foreign companies had failed at prospecting for bauxite on the concession, it looked like the situation was hopeless until in 2014, Exton Cubic, a company associated with Ibrahim Mahama applied for the permission to prospect for bauxite.
Exton Cubics application, per documents that have since been leaked from the Minerals Commission was subjected to bidding, as the company competed against three other local companies; BSC Company(Ghana)Limited, Coronation Trust Resources Limited and Rocksure International for the right to prospect.
After it won the bidding process, it was awarded the license to prospect in October 2016. However, the Akufo-Addo government won power and came into office in 2017, and started a process to dislodge Exton Cubic from the concession.
Source: Ghanaiandemocrat.com
