President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has criticised the erstwhile Akufo-Addo administration following the August 6 helicopter crash that claimed eight lives, including two cabinet ministers.
The victims — Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Environment Minister Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, and six others, including military personnel — were travelling to Obuasi for the launch of the Responsible Co-operative Mining and Skills Development Programme (COMSDEP), an initiative to address illegal mining, when their aircraft went down in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Big Issue on Saturday, August 10, Mr. Cudjoe expressed condolences to the bereaved families and the nation but blamed the former government’s failure to curb illegal mining for the tragedy.
He added that if significant action had been taken against illegal mining over the past five to seven years, “we wouldn’t be here.”
“It’s hard, it’s really hard, it’s painful, I will commiserate with the families and the rest of the country. It’s important that people do not remind us of the pain, especially some of the commentaries regarding this whole menace of galamsey.
“It’s quite interesting that we are making it look as though something should be shared politically. I think that if something significant had been done about it, probably in the last 5, 6 or 7 years, we wouldn’t be here,” he said.
He urged that the legacies of the victims be preserved.
Alhaji Muniru and Dr Murtala will be buried today, August 10.
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