Mr. Augustus Amegashie is MD for Exton Cubic Group.
Managing Director of Exton Cubic Group Limited says they did not use their affiliation with former President John Mahama to coerce the former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources into granting it license to explore bauxite at Nyinahini in the Atwima Mponua District of the Ashanti Region.
Nii Osa Mills, then sector Minister, gave approval for the company to embark on exploratory activities in the reserve, on December 29, 2016, a few days before the administration of John Mahama handed over power to a new government headed by Nana Akufo-Addo.
Exton Cubic Group Limited was set up in 1999 but the company added mining to its objects of business in 2008. The company is, however, facing tough times undertaking the project after equipment belonging to its partners, Engineers & Planners, which is owned by Mr. Mahama’s brother Ibrahim, have been confiscated on the orders of Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah.
The Regional Minister is unrelenting to hand over the machines until documentation covering the company’s activities in the Nyinahini bauxite reserve is submitted to him.
There are also suggestions that the company may have used its association with then President Mahama, to influence the granting of the license, particularly at a time that the Mahama administration had lost the election to the Nana Akufo-Addo.
Speaking on Newsfile on Joy FM on Saturday, however, Managing Director for Exton Cubic Group, Augustus Amegashie said they “did not force the Minister [Nii Osa Mills] to sign it” days before he left office.
Mr. Amegashie explained, the process for the acquisition of a license started in 2013, which saw Exton Cubic go through the necessary procedure and paid “all that was requested [mineral rights fees]” after which “an agreement was prepared and put on the Minister’s desk”.
“I think when he was leaving office on December 29, he signed it because it had been pending on his desk for a while,” the Managing Director told Sampson Lardi Anyenini, host of Newsfile.
He said: “Once we had put together a feasibility report, he [Minister] was comfortable in granting us the license.”
He also described as surprising, the claim by the youth of Nhinahini that Exton Group had not organised any engagements with the community prior to its exploratory activities as per the law.
“Even prior to the granting of prospective license we had to post a notice in the community for 21 days,” he asserted.
He found the posture of the current Chief Executive Williams Darkoh disturbing as he claimed Mr. Darkoh, then Assembly member for Nyinahini junction electoral area was a member of a committee the Assembly put together, with which Exton Group was constantly in touch.
