KEY POINTS
- Galamsey is blamed for the helicopter crash that killed eight people.
- Aidoo urges Mahama to stop galamsey immediately.
- Victims were on an anti-galamsey mission before the crash.
Ghana’s former ambassador to the Netherlands, Dr. Tony Aidoo, has issued a stark warning to President John Mahama: act decisively against illegal mining, or risk losing more members of his government.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Newsfile on August 9, Aidoo directly linked the recent fatal military helicopter crash, which claimed the lives of eight people, including two cabinet ministers, to the ongoing battle against galamsey, the local term for unregulated mining.
Galamsey blamed for tragic helicopter crash
The August 6 crash claimed the lives of Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, NDC Vice Chairman Dr. Samuel Sarpong, former parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye, and three Air Force crew members—Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
The passengers, Aidoo stressed, were en route to an anti-galamsey operation when the tragedy struck.
“I knew three of the victims personally—Omane Boamah, Sarpong, and Murtala Mohammed,” Aidoo said. “Their deaths were not an act of God but the result of human failure. We lost them due to an avoidable mistake.
Mahama told to ‘kill galamsey’ swiftly
Aidoo’s message was blunt: “President Mahama must kill the galamsey menace before it ends his members of cabinet.”
He rejected the notion that divine will was at play, insisting that God “does not take innocent lives” and that the real cause was rooted in policy and enforcement lapses.
The ex-senior presidential aide argued that the most fitting tribute to the victims would be immediate and sweeping action against illegal mining.
“Yesterday, I heard Kwame Mpianim say we must ban galamsey for three months. I agree. But I told the president directly, “Don’t let these eight patriotic souls die in vain.”
Call for urgent national action
Aidoo’s intervention has intensified calls for a crackdown on galamsey, an industry that has ravaged Ghana’s environment, polluted waterways, and fueled deadly confrontations.
Illegal mining remains a politically charged issue, with many accusing successive governments of failing to take firm action due to vested interests.
“What is President Mahama waiting for?” Aidoo asked. “This is the time to act—not tomorrow, not next week. We must stop galamsey now. That is the only tribute worthy of these patriotic deaths.”
