The Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Sammy Awuku, says the government’s most fitting tribute to the victims of the August 6, 2025, helicopter crash would be a renewed commitment to ending illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
Mr Awuku said tackling the environmental destruction caused by illegal mining would be a more meaningful way to honour the memory of the late Defence Minister, Dr. Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, the late Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, and the other victims who lost their lives in the crash.
Speaking after the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presented a petition to the Presidency on Thursday, August 6, 2026, during its “Democracy Under Attack” demonstration, the Akuapem North MP rejected suggestions that the protest should have been postponed because it coincided with the National Inter-Faith Memorial Service held in honour of the crash victims.
He said the focus should instead be on issues the deceased were passionate about, including protecting Ghana’s natural resources from the effects of illegal mining.
“The biggest honour this government could have given to the lives that we lost on that fateful day was to stop galamsey. Today, galamsey is worse off,” Mr Awuku said.
He argued that Dr Omane Boamah, if he were still alive, would not have supported what he described as the continued destruction of Ghana’s lands and water bodies through illegal mining.
“I don’t think that if Omane Boamah were alive today he would have supported the vulgar degradation of our lands,” he said.
Mr Awuku further maintained that the government could have better honoured the memories of Dr. Omane Boamah, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, and the other victims by stepping up efforts to tackle illegal mining.
“If this government wanted to honour the memory of Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, my brother Murtala Mohammed, and the other lives that perished, they should have doubled their effort in combating and stopping galamsey,” he added.
His comments came on the first anniversary of the helicopter crash that claimed the lives of eight people, including Dr. Edward Kofi Omane Boamah and Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed.
The Ghana Armed Forces Z-9 helicopter crashed in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region on August 6, 2025, while travelling from Accra to the Ashanti Region on official duty.
A National Inter-Faith Memorial Service was held at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), on Thursday to commemorate the victims and reflect on their contributions to national service.
