By Philip Tengzu
Visey, (UW/R), March 1, GNA – Naa Alhaji Ganieu Abdulai Sienu III, the chief of Visey in the Wa East District, has declared zero tolerance for illegal mining, otherwise known as galamsey, within his traditional area.
He said illegal mining had nothing better to offer the community except destroying the land and affecting agricultural production in the area.
Naa Alhaji Sienu said this at Visey during a durbar of the chiefs and people of the Kantosis (Saamunee) clan and his first-anniversary celebration as the chief of the community.
Naa Alhaji Sienu was enskinned as the chief of Visey in January 2022, where he announced his commitment to ensuring that the community saw some magnitude of development within his reign as chief.
He encouraged any individual or group of individuals who had interest in mining in the area to acquire the necessary license before engaging in such activity as anyone apprehended engaging in galamsey would be dealt with according to the law.
Naa Alhaji Sienu cited the increase in school enrolment following the distribution of free school uniforms, renovation of the classroom block, support for farmers in the Visey community with fertilizer, and promotion of agriculture as some interventions he had led for the development of the community.
He mentioned the deplorable state of the Wa-Yibile-Naaha-Visey road as a major threat to the poverty eradication efforts of the Visey community as the community would soon be cut off from the rest of the district during the rainy season if nothing was done before the onset of the rains.
He therefore took the initiative to grade and reshape the Naaha-Visey portions of the road and appealed to the district assembly for support to put the road in a good shape before the rains start.
Dr. Suleman Ewurah Kandia Mahama, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, extolled Naa Alhaji Sienu for initiating those development interventions in the community since he took over the reign of leadership about a year ago.
“What I have come here to observe, I have seen there is power in unity, and I wish this can be replicated across the district. Living and interacting with others peacefully should be a concern to all.
When I was coming, I saw what was happening on the road. I have seen his (Visey Naa) initiative. I am yet to be privy to the initiatives of other chiefs in the district, but this is commendable,” he said.
He assured the chief and his people of the district assembly’s readiness to complement their efforts to facilitate the development of the area and promised to commence the electrification process of the Visey community before the end of 2023.
Dr. Mahama also commended the chief for his pronouncement against illegal mining in the area and urged people who had an interest in mining gold in the area to seek support from the assembly to acquire the needed license to mine appropriately.
Alhaji Ahmed Mahama Sienu, the chairperson of the occasion, called for sustained unity among the people to help achieve the needed development of the area.
Kantosis across the Upper West Region and other parts of the country as well as Burkina Faso attended the event.
The event was characterised by the rich cultural display of the Kantosis people.
GNA