The Coordinator of the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP), Nii Lante Vanderpuye, has called for renewed and intensified efforts to eradicate illegal mining (galamsey) in the wake of the tragic military helicopter crash that claimed the lives of eight prominent Ghanaians, including key government officials.
Speaking during a solemn flower-laying ceremony on Friday, August 8, Vanderpuye described the fallen officials as patriots who paid the ultimate price in the nation’s fight against environmental degradation.
“For the lives of these people, I would say we should go all out and finish these galamsey people,” he stated.
“These people have sacrificed their lives for the sake of ending galamsey. If they’ve made that sacrifice for us as a country, we have no excuse but to end galamsey.”
The crash occurred on Wednesday, August 6, in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region. The Ghana Armed Forces Z-9 helicopter, en route to Obuasi, lost radar contact shortly after takeoff and crashed near Adansi Sikaman.
The victims included Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Environment Minister Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Muniru Mohammed, NDC Vice Chairman Dr. Samuel Sarpong, and former parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye. Three Ghana Air Force personnel—Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah—also perished in the crash.
A state funeral is scheduled for Friday, August 15. Due to the condition of the remains, DNA samples have been sent to South Africa for positive identification.
Vanderpuye stressed that the tragedy must mark a turning point in Ghana’s prolonged battle against illegal mining.
“I wish I had the authority; it would be war,” he declared. “We can’t lose these people and still allow others to remain in the forests and rivers, destroying our environment.”
Source: Adomonline.com
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