Mr Sammy Awuku, Member of Parliament (MP) for Akuapem North, has said the Government’s greatest tribute to the victims of the August 6, 2025 helicopter crash would be a renewed commitment to ending illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
He said tackling the environmental destruction caused by illegal mining would better 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 died in the crash.
Mr Awuku made the remarks after the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presented a petition to the Presidency on Thursday as part of its “Democracy Under Attack” demonstration.
He dismissed 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.
According to him, greater attention should instead be paid to issues that 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 alive, would not have supported what he described as the continued destruction of the country’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 maintained that the Government could have demonstrated its commitment to honouring the memories of Dr Omane Boamah, Dr Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed and the other victims by intensifying efforts to combat illegal mining.
“If this government wanted to honour the memory of Dr Edward Omane Boamah, my brother Murtala Muhammed, and the other lives that perished, they should have doubled their effort in combating and stopping galamsey,” he added.
His comments coincided with the first anniversary of the helicopter crash, which claimed the lives of eight people, including Dr 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 development.
