African Presidents and Their Appointees Must Nap With One Eye Opened Instead of Sleeping, and Dream Together? Ghana Mourns Fallen 8.

No doubt if drops of tears had an instrument of measure, Ghanaians measured an Ocean on August 6, 2025.

In this ocean, the true character of Ghanaians of old and the Ghanaian of today seem to have giving a glimpse of what Ghana's future in the arena of disappointments, confusion, divisiveness, hatred, cheap partisan political outbursts, unpreparedness and many deficit attributes relative to patriotism and unity of a people one can think about. In that same future lies hope, unison and prosperity for all to harvest, only if Ghana is put first as every every Ghanaian's business to protect, sacrifice for, and nurture to yield dividend for all.

A Ghana that everyone will strive to work hard genuinely and be content with their earnings, and not be filled with greed and envy to dream of illegally amassing wealth that belongs to the State or others. Or machinate at all costs to avoid accountability of stewardship.

The tragic death of the 8 sons of Ghana in the line of national duty aimed at charting a path to end a menace that continuously threatens our own existence because of the destruction of the environment and health complications it afflicts on the citizenry, including the genetic effects it will transmit to generations to come must be a solemn sermon to all.

Galamsey as it is known to be a name for illegal mining, especially surface mining of precious minerals like Gold in Ghana mostly near dependable rivers, continue to cause the nation pain.

Apart from the silent killing of Ghanaians by residue of metals such as mercury and some chemicals like cyanide flushed into some rivers many communities depend on for survival, these dangerous chemicals end up in the bloodstream and organs like kidneys of the citizenry deforming babies. Galamsey operations are characterized by physical confrontational killings with all sorts of objects used as weapons, including guns. The situation has contributed to the proliferation of illegally acquired guns and locally manufactured guns, and it is worrying.

The sophistication of some of these weapons believed to be in the possession of those protecting galamsey sites and equally deeply involved in galamsey must be worrying. Worrying not only to the citizenry living in the communities where galamsey is festering, but to the security agencies, environmental protection agencies and all Ghanaians. This is because bullets are not made and customized to only galamsey operating environs, nor the triggers of the guns they are shot from equally customized for those environs. These weapons can be used for other crimes elsewhere.

The security services, especially the military have bitter lessons and grief to always remember about their fallen men and women in line of duty occasioned by combatting this galamsey menace. A painful reminder is the mob lynching of Late Captain Maxwell Adam Mahama in Diaso, a town in Upper Denkiyra West district of Central Region of Ghana on May 29, 2017. Out of the 14 accused, 12 were sentenced to life in prison on January 29, 2024. The other 2 were acquitted and discharged.

The military is not new to the fight against galamsey, and are always ready to move on the orders of Ministries in whose jurisdiction lies that challenge and oversight and usually with the support of the Executive and Parliament.

Wednesday August 6, 2025, will add to Ghana's loss and the military's loss, especially the Ghana Airforce, as three crew members in the Z9 helicopter flying to Obuasi from Ghana's capital Accra that crashed in a thick forest in Sikaman near Adansi in the Ashanti Region were Airforce men. They were Late Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Alana, Late Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Late Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.

In the same helicopter were two top government Ministers, Dr. Omane Boamah, the Defence Minister and Dr. Alhaji Muntala Ibrahim Mohammed, the Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister who also died in the crash.

Also on board who died in the helicopter crash were Late Alhaji Muniru Mohammed who was the Deputy National Security Coordinator, Late Dr. Samual Sarpong who was the Vice Chairman of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), and Former Member of Parliament for Obuasi East constituency, Late Hon. Samuel Aboagye.

The incident has exposed a highest level of insensitivity on the part of some who ought to have known better, including some politicians and media persons. It also brought to fore the volatile nature of social media usage, and the danger of how some commentaries and posts from some Ghanaians on their individual and group platforms can be a huge obstacle to Ghana's peace and development.

There seem to be many conspiracy theories being advanced, driven by rumours, conflicting accounts about what may have caused the military helicopter crash in Ghana on August 6, 2025.

The Ghana Airforce helicopters for sometime now have been involved in emergency landings in some parts of the country raising some concerns. In 2024, one of the helicopters had to make an emergency landing in a town in Western Region called Bonsukrom. The Z9 helicopter is reported to have made an emergency landing close to the Tamale Airport in the Northern Region in 2020.

Also, in 2015, an AIrforce helicopter carrying president Mahama and the First Lady, Lordina Mahama had to do an emergency landing near a small town in Ashanti Region called Apatrapa.

What is baffling that many are asking is when did the Ghana Air Force Air Control tower or those in contact with the pilot realized the helicopter was no longer on their radar and had gone missing, when the journey was about 45 minutes, but it allegedly took them close to 2 hours from take off time to make it known to the public?

Is it because of a procedure they had to go through to inform the public? If it is the case, what was instantly done or put in place to rescue a helicopter with high profile government officials, including their sector minister of defence and the crew who are their colleagues immediately they realized they had gone missing from their rader, especially knowing they were flying over a dense forest without places to make an emergency landing?

When they got the information later, what immediate steps were taken to rush to the scene, even with a different rescue military aircraft to at least minimise the burn and protect the scene from any investigation interference?

Is it that the Ghana Airforce is under equipped and does not have an Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting unit to respond to emergency and evacuation of passengers and crew during disasters? Was it a mechanical fault that suddenly developed in the air, fuel related or it is the weather?

A high profile transparent investigation must be conducted right from the selection of that helicopter, its preparation and clearance before take off, its tracking by the air control team to the point of crashing and the events after the crash both on the scene and at the base it took off from.

The black box be protected and its review must be diligently done to avoid recurrence of such disasters in the future.

Mr. President, the galamsey fight has elevated to a level where tackling it as a war against the nation is imminent, if I may suggest. Building military bases by or close to all forests and galamsey operation communities with dedicated commanders is gradually appearing to be the way forward if this war is to be won.

There seem to be pieces of incidents pulling their ugly heads in some pockets of places many Ghanaians are solidly behind you to deflate, and as quickly as possible, even though a few by their recent utterances wishes it festers for selfish interests sake.

It is no longer the time to sleep and snore with all due respect, and not to say it is what is currently happening. But naturally, when able men and women are in the realm of affairs and successes are being counted, complacency crashes the party. As a result, there is the need for a wake up call.

This is the time to nap with one eye open for the rest of your term in office instead of sleeping with both eyes closed. This is to ensure the good policies of your government that are yielding positive results at this infant stage of your second coming, continue to be felt by all the citizenry in one way or the other.

I have always suggested that you borrow massively from trusted sources to rapidly develop Ghana for the people to feel it. Those developments must be tailored towards massive revenue generation to pay the debt in the short, medium and long term, as you brilliantly did for the Airport Terminal 3 currently being emulated by many West African countries. Whichever direction your able team deems wise, and your instinct endorses, please activate it, for you have the two-third of sound Ghanaian minds believing in your wisdom.

Please remove the soft gloves and act decisively, hitting where it hurts sometimes but for the nation's good within the confines of the law, and you will still be loved and remembered for your good work and patriotism.

Your Excellency, please invest heavily in CCTV cameras throughout the nation, especially at very sensitive and essential national assets, which include the citizenry who are human. The investment must include a radical and nationwide education on the need for CCTV cameras, for deterrence is an effective tool to prevent and solve many disturbing problems and crimes, including set ups, corruption and sabotage.

The influx of flying drones for media and security monitoring purposes is growing rapidly and needs sanitization, tighter regulation and compliance, professional training and licensure to operate them. Discipline must be the wheels on which every Ghanaian must not fear to ride on.

Ghanaians need to come together as one people in sincerity before their creator not only during death and sports, but at all times to radiate the love that makes them Ghanaians first among themselves.

Politics must be healthy in practice, for there is no need to fight in a contest where the only weapon must be votes your thumb has. Exercising one's civic responsibility must not be consumed with violence, for anyone that ascends to power with violence mostly rules with violence.

On the other hand, partisan politics must be seasonal, and must not cloud brains to obstruct justice, slander and defame one another. It must not be an avenue to be used to avoid accountability of stewardship where taxpayers sweat and money are involved.

May the souls of all departed national heroes rest in peace. I pray their families and the nation be strengthened to protect their great legacies left behind for their beloved nation.

I rest my PEN.
Mustapha Alhassan
Pennsylvania, USA.

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