The Paramount chief of Bongo Traditional Area in the Upper East Region, Naba Baba Salifu Atamale Lemyaarem says the chiefs are powerless in the fight against the depletion of forest reserves in the country.
According to Naba Salifu, the powerful people including politicians are behind the illegal logging of rosewood which is gradually becoming endengered spicies in northern Ghana.
The Bongo chief was speaking at a stakeholder’s Dialogue on illegal logging of rosewood in northern Ghana in Tamale, organized by Star-Ghana foundation in collaboration with the Baobab market.
The Bongo Naba rendered unqualified apology on behalf of his colleague chiefs for their inability to protect the environment.
Naba Salifu who is also the vice president of the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs explained that its every chief responsibility to protect the environment but unfortunately that’s not the case because of the powerful people involved in rosewood trade.
The Bongo Paramount chief admitted that chiefs are part of the depletion largely due to the smartness of people both local and international involved rosewood businesses.
He explained that the chiefs who fight against the rosewood are rather being shortage and their communities ended up not benefiting anything from the illegal loggers.
The rosewood, Naba Salifu noted are natural spicies which grows itself without any body seeing the seeds.
However, the draughts resistance tree Naba Salifu observed was under siege because the depletion of the environment has reached an alarming proportions in northern Ghana. He said the governments must be interested in the fight.
The government, the forestry commission and the security agencies Bongo Naba added has a bigger role to play in curbing the menace.
Northern Ghana has money but lack of support to harness the potentials to get the regions out of poverty.
He also advocated for the people in northern Ghana to start make good use of local drinks such as baobab and others instead of foriegn drinks.
Even though we have teeths, we can’t bit because we are now directed, our powers are drive by the western culture. I say this because in the past, chiefs were their administrators, the chiefs had the right to punish anyone who commits an offense and even an offense that has to do with cuting down a tree, the chief can sanction but is not the case now, he lamented.
Today you see chiefs conniving and condoning in the illegal logging because they have no way. The chiefs in the Northern sector are vulnerable and there some loyals who believe that ones he becomes a chief he must look for wealth.
‘The perception of citizens is that every chief is a wealthy person. A chief can say no to a logger with letters from presidency signed by a particular ministers or political head demanding that a consession has been given to cut rosewood, you say no and lie-down at the confort in your palace but the exercise will go on.