Yesterday, a very solemn yet inspiring interfaith memorial reflection was held to remember the sad deaths of the gallant eight who were lost to the helicopter crash on August 6, 2025.
The remembrance service gathered families of the departed eight, the President and Vice President of the Republic, government officials, and others to commemorate and reflect on the one-year demise, a day that the nation would never forget.
Sermons from the Islamic and Christian faiths were very inspiring and urged everyone to value leaving lasting legacies while alive.
In particular, the Director-General for Religious Affairs, Ghana Armed Forces, Brigadier General Benjamin Godson Kumi-Woode, shared some lessons from the memorial service.
He inspired the gathering to focus on making positive impacts over accumulation, explaining that people should prioritise meaningful contributions to the life of our nation and the lives of others over material gain.
The lesson he shared from the event was for the gathering and all to “inspire and uplift others. As you live your life, may one of your legacies be that you inspire and you uplift others. Your legacy is strengthened by the positive influence you leave behind.”
“Someone is sitting in the shade today because somebody planted a tree a long time ago. Almost all the trees you ever sit under were planted by somebody else, and they provide you with shade. So may we also be tree planters. May we grow trees for others to enjoy. Your legacy is every life you have touched. That is your legacy,” he added.
MEANING
Reflecting on the August 6 incident, the president, John Dramani Mahama, remarked that “some tragedies unfold quietly within families and communities. Then some tragedies touch the conscience of an entire nation. And the August 6 incident was one such tragedy.”
According to him, the nation had gathered a year later not to relive the pain it caused but to give it meaning.
He said that the entire country had gathered because remembrance was an obligation for every grateful nation.
“A country that forgets those who served it slowly forgets the values on which it is built. Memory, therefore, is not simply about looking backwards. It’s an act of national character and value. It affirms that sacrifices matter and that service is honoured and that lives dedicated to the nation will never disappear into the shadows of history,” President Mahama remarked.
REFLECTIONS
In a memorial reflection, the family of Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, former Minister for Defence, Charles Ohene Oti indicated that though the past year had been difficult, the family has been comforted based on the legacies he left behind.
For the late Squadron Leader Peter Baafemi Anala’s family, Percy Anala remarked that though it has been a whole year, the incident feels like it happened yesterday.
He prayed that “the memories of our faithful departed loved one inspire us to serve our nation with integrity and selflessness.”
Representing the family of the late Flying Officer Manaen Twum-Ampadu, Naval Lieutenant Ewuradjoa Kumi-Kyeremeh expressed gratitude to God for strength throughout the year of grief. It was her prayer that “a tragedy of such proportion does not repeat itself.”
The memorial reflections of the family of Sergeant Ernest Addo-Mensah were delivered by Mercy Amoah, who remarked the family chose to reflect on the legacy their beloved left and not the pain of his passing.
She said that in the midst of grief and sorrow, the family had received support from friends and loved ones, including the Ghana Armed Forces, and thanked them for the gesture.
On behalf of the family of the late Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna, who was the acting deputy national security coordinator, Kasha Ridwan Limuna recalled how the family had celebrated and enjoyed Alhaji Muniru Limuna when he was alive. But, for the past year, they have had to learn how life was without him, adding that there had been moments the family wished to hear his voice “one more time.”
Prof. Rufai Haruna Kiru spoke on behalf of the late Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed’s family, sending the appreciation of the family to the president, the entire nation and loved ones for the support during the difficult times.
Emmanuel Paapa Sarpong, speaking for the family of the late Dr. Samuel Sarpong, said as a son, and the family, they miss Dr. Sarpong, adding that it has been a year, “yet his memories continue to live with us.”
In a statement read on her behalf by Angelina Salami, the wife of the late Samuel Adu Aboagye, deputy director-general, NADMO, in her memorial reflection, she advocated for a continued fight against the cause of death of her husband and the others.
She remarked that her husband and the other departed souls were on a journey to combat illegal mining, also known as galamsey, adding that the best tribute to their souls would be to win the galamsey fight.
“Let me say one last thing. Samuel died on his way to a fight that is yet not finished. The rivers he was going to defend are still being poisoned; the land is still bleeding. The truest tribute we can pay this day is not a speech. It is to finish their work,” she asserted sorrowfully.
A prayer was said for the family, the nation and the government after observing a minute of silence in honour of the eight departed.
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