President John Dramani Mahama has encouraged Ghanaians to transform their sorrow into a revitalised dedication to constructing the nation as the country wraps up three days of nationwide mourning for the eight casualties of Wednesday’s military helicopter accident in the Ashanti Region.
Addressing attendees at a Saturday, August 9, evening of contemplation and a memorial service, President Mahama appealed to citizens to “transition from mourning to accepting our loss,” emphasising that the most meaningful homage to the deceased is to persist in their efforts to build a cohesive and thriving Ghana.
“Let us pledge to labour diligently, rising above our divergences, and concentrating our efforts on the massive undertaking of national advancement. They served Ghana with their final breath, and it is our hallowed duty to perpetuate that service to the Ghana they imagined, a Ghana of possibility, fairness, and prosperity for everyone,” he stated.
The accident, occurring in the Adansi Akrofuom District on August 6, resulted in the deaths of Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah; Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed; Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Muniru Mohammed; ex-parliamentary hopeful Samuel Aboagye; and NDC Vice Chairman Samuel Sarpong. Three Ghana Armed Forces members — Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah — also lost their lives when the Z-9 helicopter they occupied vanished from radar on the way to Obuasi.
The bodies of the victims have been conclusively identified following a DNA examination in South Africa, with two, Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed and Muniru Mohammed, slated for interment on Sunday, August 10. Mahama’s plea arrives as the nation struggles with the abrupt loss of these senior officials and military personnel, underscoring that their sacrifice ought to act as a unifying force for solidarity and fortitude.
