Nana Bonya Kofi VI, Chief of Basake, Abusupayin Yemi of Etwe Kpanyinli Royal Stool of Aiyinasi, and elders of the Basake community have lodged a formal petition with the Minerals Commission and the Forestry Commission concerning the contract awarded for mineral resources and forest reserves in the farming area.
In the petition addressed to the two institutions, they expressed unanimous discontent with the process, citing a lack of consideration for land ownership acquisition tenets. They emphasized that while minerals may be vested in the government, the lands involved belong to the chiefs and their custodians.
The petition stressed the necessity of engaging with chiefs and elders before granting contracts for exploration and forest activities, as they are expected to oversee such operations within their communities.
The petition highlighted an incident where timber felling equipment, accompanied by personnel in Forest Commission trucks, reportedly entered the Draw Forest Reserve to harvest timber in the designated Global Significant Biodiversity Area (GSBA) without any prior notification from government agencies.
Since the establishment of the GSBA in the 1980s, the petition lamented that the landlords had been denied the previously approved “Alternative Living Allowance” (ALA) and had been refused the allocation of compartments for harvesting for community development.
This mistreatment, the petition argued, stands in stark contrast to the management of similar forest reserves, such as the Gwira Banso, within the same Draw Forest Reserve.
The petition urged government bodies, including the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Forestry Commission, the Administrator of Stool Lands, and the Speaker of Parliament, to address the alleged corruption in the management of the Draw Forest Reserve. They also called for an end to the disrespect and mistreatment of chiefs and the people of the Aiyinasi-Basake communities in the Ellembelle District.
In conclusion, they requested prompt action and cooperation to ensure peaceful coexistence between the communities and the entities involved in the management of the forest reserve. They eagerly await a response to their concerns.