Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has opened up about the emotional trauma she experienced following the helicopter crash that claimed the lives of several senior government officials, describing the moment she received the news as one filled with shock and disbelief.
Speaking in an exclusive interview on The KSM Show on Friday, the Vice President said the scale of the tragedy made it difficult to comprehend, especially considering the impact on the families of those who lost their lives.
She recalled that the incident required her and other leaders to remain composed and focused despite the overwhelming emotions that followed the loss.
“These are moments that require of you to focus even more tightly to look at what you have, know you’ve lost and know how to move forward. It wasn’t an easy time for us, least for the family, for a woman who had lost her own child, it was a very, very tough call,” she said.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang acknowledged that accidents are part of life but noted that the magnitude of the crash made the situation particularly painful.
“We know accidents can happen, but sometimes when they do happen and on this scale, it takes so much out of you,” she added.
The Vice President revealed that she had met privately with President John Dramani Mahama shortly before the tragedy to discuss plans for the proposed Women’s Development Bank.
According to her, she had returned home after the meeting and was preparing to head to her office when she received the news of the crash.
“Just that same morning, I had a private meeting with my boss, our President, on another issue. It was on the Women’s Development Bank. So we had had the discussion and I had left his home to my own home and then got ready to come to the office. Within an hour, I got my phone buzzing and that was when the news broke,” she recounted.
She described her initial response to the news as a mixture of disbelief, shock and several emotions happening simultaneously.
“It’s disbelief, it’s shock, it’s many, many emotions going on at the same time,” she said.
However, Professor Opoku-Agyemang said the situation required immediate leadership and focus, adding that there was little room to be overwhelmed by grief at the time.
“But it also means that this is the time you have to be focused, this is the time you can’t lose it. So quickly, you try to find out what you have to do,” she stated.
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