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WHO SHOULD BE BLAMED FOR THE CUTTING DOWN OF SHEA TREES IN SAVANNAH REGION FOR CHARCOAL BURNING?
Many people are sharing sad photos of cut down Shea trees for charcoal burning in the West Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region.
The photos were shared by Bole Nkilgi fm’s correspondent for Damongo Zion Abdul- Rauf on his facebook wall.
Zion Abdul- Rauf wrote; “Shea tree Cutting, Packing, Burning, bagging and loading still going on in the Savannah Region. God’s wrath may soon visit us because we have destroyed the beautiful environment He blessed us with. Our leaders have failed us big time!!”.
For me cutting down the shea trees is a pure criminal act! We must all rise up and stop this canker in Gonjaland (Savannah Region).
The shea tree produces its first fruit when it is about ten to fifteen years old. By the time it starts bearing fruit at full capacity, it is between twenty and thirty years. It is capable of bearing fruits for about two hundred years. The shea-nut tree for generations has been very important to economy of Gonjaland in many ways
The shea tree serve as a source of food for the people. Shea butter is extracted from the nuts and used as oil to prepare various types of food.
Women in our part of Ghana go into the wild to pick the nuts which are directly sold to processors or are processed by the pickers themselves.
The people who extract the butter from the nuts sell their products to other traders who took the butter to the south and to other parts of the country.
The shea tree is a source of employment to hundreds of people especially women in the Savannah Region.
It is clear that some people have been emboldened to begin cutting down commercial trees as a result of the inaction of the Gonja Kingdom on charcoal burning and other environmental degradation.
Posterity will judge some people harshly in Gonjaland (Savannah Region). In fact the gods of our land and the spirit of our ancestors who spilled their blood to found our land will haunt them and if possible disgrace or make them mad.
Some “careless” characters at the Gonja Traditional Council (who are not Chiefs) as well as the various Palaces cannot escape responsibity for the flip flopping decisions on charcoal burning and environmental degradation in Gonjaland.
These characters care about their stomachs, drink, women and cars and will do everything to make money through charcoal business damning the consequences all of us as well as the future generation.
And discerning minds who have been exposing some of the shenanigans from these promoters of charcoal trade have become targets.
Someone should tell me how come Bolewura Sarfo Kutuge Feso (I) was taken off as Chairman of a commitee of Eminent chiefs responsible for the Ban of Charcoal Burning activities in the Savannah region?
Yes the Gonja Traditional Council held a consultantive dialogue on 21st April, 2021 at the Regional coordinating Council conference Hall to delebrate on Small Scale Mining and Charcoal Production in the region and Bolewura was appointed which he accepted with the whole Gonja Kingdom pledging to assist him so we end the charcoal menace once and for all.
However the removal of Bolewura when he went to Accra for a medical check-up was simply a coup d’etat against him by the powers that be.
They knew Bolewura as principled as he is will never compromise and he indeed did the work effectively and without favour to the admiration of the Gonja Kingdom and Ghana for the few months he was given that role.
I was part of Bolewura’s one week tour to his Traditional Area which had a big impact until he was shameless removed making him recoil into his shell.
Did the kin pins in the charcoal business bring bags of money or not? Did they compromise those around the Yagbonwura’s Palace or not?
I’m privy to some information on this and will bring it out at the right time.
Some of us have fought all environmental menace in Gonjaland for many years and will continue to do that. We will fight anyone playing ostrich.
I was trained to be principled and to be fearless when talking to truth. I was trained not to chase dirty money so I always speak with good intentions and clear conscience.
I may be cool now but will surely come up strong to fight some of these “vampires” promoting charcoal business. I will do that through the little media space I have.
They should prepare!
28th April, 2022
By Haruna Mahama
