Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has revealed that the late Defence Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, had deep reservations about using helicopters and had never boarded one since the current administration took office—until days before the crash that claimed his life.
Dr. Boamah was among eight people who perished in the Sikaman helicopter crash on Wednesday, August 6. Other victims included Minister for Environment Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, NDC Vice Chairman Dr. Samuel Sarpong, Deputy NADMO Director-General Samuel Aboagye, and three military officers.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Monday, August 11, Muntaka recounted a personal exchange with Dr. Boamah just a week before the fatal crash. He said that while arranging a military helicopter for an urgent trip to Tamale, the Air Force commander reminded him of Dr. Boamah’s discomfort with helicopters.
“He said, ‘Muntaka, I don’t know what is wrong with you. Why are you using this helicopter? I’ve told you I’m not comfortable with this, why not use the cater?’” Muntaka recalled.
Dr. Boamah, Muntaka said, often preferred the larger, more stable “cater” aircraft, which could carry over 40 passengers, rather than the smaller helicopters. The Defence Minister had argued that safety was more important than cost efficiency.
It was that same commitment to safety and duty, Muntaka explained, that convinced Dr. Boamah to eventually board a helicopter for the first time under the current government. The decision came as part of a mission in the government’s intensified fight against illegal mining (galamsey).
“Despite all his reservations, despite the fact that he had never used it before, the first time he did, he never returned,” Muntaka said, visibly emotional.
He added that Dr. Boamah’s determination to fulfil his promise to the President in the anti-galamsey campaign outweighed his personal fears.
“You understand why some of us are broken. We knew how uncomfortable he was with the heli; he made it clear. But he gave the President his word that he would give everything to this fight.”
