The People’s National Party (PNP) has rejected President John Mahama’s plan to create a fund for the dependents of the eight victims of the recent military helicopter crash, describing the initiative as “insufficient and short-lived.”
President Mahama, on Tuesday, August 12, announced during the funeral of the late Deputy National Security Coordinator, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna, that a dedicated fund would be established to cater for the children of those who perished in the tragedy.
While acknowledging the President’s condolences to the bereaved families, the PNP argued that such a fund risked running dry, being discontinued, or falling prey to political manipulation eventually reducing it to what the party called “a symbolic gesture with no lasting impact.”
In a statement issued on Wednesday, August 13, party founder and chairperson Janet Asana Nabla proposed an alternative: the swift enactment of a National Heroes Dependants Protection Act.
This law, she explained, would create a permanent welfare framework financed through the Consolidated Fund and managed by the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection.
The proposed legislation would provide guaranteed stipends for widows and dependents, safeguard benefits from political interference, ensure comprehensive education support for children, prioritise their placement in public sector jobs, and enforce strict transparency measures.
“This is not about generosity,” Nabla stressed. “It is a matter of national obligation. The families of those who gave their lives in service must never be left vulnerable to political tides or fading public concern.”
