The government’s Reset Agenda must be successful in memory of the eight helicopter crash victims, who were key champions of the reform program.
Speaking at the 3rd Day Adua for the Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Lumina, who died in Wednesday’s crash, President John Dramani Mahama said the government must work even harder to ensure their deaths were not in vain.
“All of them were key champions of the Reset Agenda that we are pursuing as a government. So the Reset Agenda must be successful in their memory so that their deaths will not have been in vain,” the President stated during the Islamic mourning ceremony.
President Mahama emphasised that the victims’ commitment to the government’s reform program creates an obligation for the administration to intensify efforts to achieve its goals.
The President described the loss as particularly difficult because all the victims were at the prime of their lives with significant responsibilities, including supporting families with children still in school and some with infants as young as two months old.
Among the victims were Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, both of whom had been driving key aspects of the government’s reform initiatives in their respective ministries.
President Mahama spoke personally about Muniru, describing him as “virtually my personal assistant” who could be called at 1am and would immediately travel to any location without hesitation.
The President revealed that Muniru’s appointment as Deputy National Security Coordinator came just two weeks before his death, representing his first public assignment in the new role.
The helicopter trip to represent National Security in the Responsible and Cooperative Mining Program was Muniru’s inaugural mission in his new position, making his death particularly poignant for the President and the administration.
“When we were making appointments, his appointment was among the last. And people kept asking, why is it that Alhaji Lumina is closer to you and you have not given him an appointment yet? And I told him, when you are sharing food in the house, you serve the strangers first, before you serve the family members,” President Mahama explained.
The President announced that a state funeral will be held on Friday, August 15th for all eight victims, where the government will announce a program creating a fund to assist with the education of their children.
President Mahama said the commitment to memorial success through the Reset Agenda reflects the government’s determination to honor the victims’ dedication to national service and transformation.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
