‘I was alone when it mattered most’ – Victoria Hamah opens up on painful past

Former Deputy Communications Minister Dr Victoria Lakshmi Hamah has opened up about a painful experience she says changed her perception of family and support.

Dr Hamah said she came to the realisation after being publicly humiliated, subjected to media scrutiny and betrayed by people she considered close to her.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, August 29, she said the experience taught her a difficult lesson about who stands by a person when they are at their lowest point.

Dr Hamah served as Deputy Minister of Communications under former President John Dramani Mahama before she was relieved of her post in November 2013.

Her dismissal came shortly after a leaked audio recording, purported to be her voice, circulated widely in the Ghanaian media.

Reports at the time said the recording contained comments about her political ambitions, other government officials and an alleged plot to make money out of her role.

More than a decade after the episode, Dr Hamah has now reflected on the experience, saying the public humiliation and betrayal left her feeling isolated.

"I have painfully realized that family is an illusion.

When I was publicly humiliated, subjected to media lynching, and betrayed by those closest to me, I learned the hardest truth of all: when it mattered most, I was alone," she wrote.

Her post attracted a wave of reactions from Facebook users, with many expressing sympathy and encouraging her to move forward.

Some users described her experience as painful and urged her to turn the lessons from it into something constructive, including writing a book about her experiences.