News
Ghana defence, environment ministers killed in helicopter crash — Presidency
Ghana’s defence and environment ministers were killed in a helicopter crash Wednesday, the Ghanaian presidency said, hours after the armed forces reported a chopper carrying three crew and five passengers dropped off the radar.
Edward Omane Boamah became President John Mahama’s defence minister earlier this year shortly after Mahama’s swearing-in in January.
Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed was serving as the minister of environment, science and technology.
Everyone onboard was killed in the accident, authorities said.
“The president and government extend our condolences and sympathies to the families of our comrades and the servicemen who died in service to the country,” said Mahama’s chief of staff Julius Debrah.
Boamah was helming Ghana’s defence ministry at a time when jihadist activity across its northern border in Burkina Faso has become increasingly restive.
While Ghana has so far avoided a jihadist spillover from the Sahel — unlike neighbours Togo and Benin — observers have warned of increased arms trafficking and of militants from Burkina Faso crossing the porous border to use Ghana as a rear base.
A medical doctor by training, Boamah’s career in government included stints as communications minister during Mahama’s previous 2012-2017 tenure. Before that, he was the deputy minister for environment.
The Ghanaian Armed Forces had reported earlier Wednesday that an air force helicopter had fallen off radar after taking off from Accra just after 9:00 am. It had been headed towards the town of Obuasi, northwest of the capital.
The statement had said that three crew and five passengers were aboard, without specifying at the time that the ministers were among them.
Alhaji Muniru Mohammed, Ghana’s deputy national security coordinator and former agriculture minister, was among the dead, along with Samuel Sarpong, vice chairman of Mahama’s National Democratic Congress party.
As Ghana has pursued increased diplomacy with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger — all ruled by juntas who have broken with the ECOWAS west African regional bloc — Boamah led a delegation to Ouagadougou in May.
He had been set to release a book titled “A Peaceful Man in an African Democracy”, about former president John Atta Mills, who died in 2012.
All flags were to be flown at half-staff, Debrah said, while the presidency said Mahama had cancelled his official activities for the day.
FOLLOW US ON:
Members of the Nigerian Union of Electricity Employees on Thursday protested the alleged arrest and continued detention of five staff members by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company.
The protest, which took place simultaneously at EEDC district offices in Awka, Onitsha and other locations across the state, saw workers blocking entrances and halting all operations.
The detained staff, including a mother of three, were allegedly arrested on July 31 by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Awkuzu, on the orders of the EEDC management over alleged professional misconduct.
The aggrieved workers also lamented poor remuneration, harassment, lack of medicare, intimidation by the Enugu Disco, alleging that several workers have died and others rendered incapacitated due to the policies of the EEDC.
The EEDC, which is responsible for the distribution of power in the South-East states of Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Abia and Ebonyi, is also being accused of operating an “oppressive working environment” for electricity workers across the South-East.
The protesting workers, who marched from the main entrance of the service and customer offices in Onitsha and Awka, round the neighbouring streets, disrupted operations and prevented access to the premises, while carrying placards with varying descriptions.
Some of the descriptions on their placards read, “Release our members unlawfully detained”, “Pay your staff very commiserate salary”, “Stop slavery of your worker”, “Electricity workers say no to intimidation and harassment”, “Stop breaking the terms and conditions of service”, among others.
Speaking during the protest, the Chairman, Ndukwu Bonaventure, said, “No one knows their whereabouts, including their family members, until we started making enquiries at police formations across the state.
”As a union, we went round the police formations across the state until we discovered them at the detention camp in Awkuzu SARS, and that was after five days when we had toured almost all the police formations across the state.
”Our members cannot continue working under the constant threat of arbitrary arrests. We will continue to pursue justice through peaceful and lawful means.
”While we condemned any acts of misconduct, we are insisting that disciplinary procedures must follow due process.
“We do not condone fraud or malpractice, but our members are not criminals and must not be treated like armed robbers. There are established internal procedures for handling such matters, and those must be respected.”
Also speaking, the Vice Chairman of NUEE in the state, Friday Idoko, lamented the poor condition of service by the management of EEDC, saying, “Last two weeks, I was almost electrocuted and I was admitted for one week and until I resumed yesterday, no member of management asked after me. An only son of his parents have died doing this job and nothing was done for his family.
“We are demanding for the release of five of our members now, not tomorrow. We know they have Police in their kitty and can control them the way they like we have nothing but they must release them or this work will be abandoned for them.”
Efforts to reach the Head of Corporate Communications at EEDC, Emeka Eze, for comment were unsuccessful.
Calls and messages to his phone went unanswered.
FOLLOW US ON:
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has donated ₦110 million to the families of the 22 Kano athletes who lost their lives in a tragic accident earlier this year.
According to a statement on Thursday by the governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Dawakin Tofa, each family received ₦5 million through the First Lady’s intervention under the Victim Support Fund, aimed at easing the burden of loss and supporting their recovery.
“In a matching gesture of empathy and leadership, Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, also provided an additional ₦130 million, with each of the 10 injured athletes receiving ₦2 million and a plot of land while the families of the deceased get an additional N5m each,” Tofa said.
Earlier, the state had offered an initial ₦22 million, with ₦1 million given to each bereaved family shortly after the incident and those injured were given ₦500,000 each.
Yusuf expressed deep appreciation to the First Lady, describing her intervention as “a clear demonstration of compassion, leadership, and shared humanity.”
He noted that her support has significantly complemented the state’s efforts in standing with the victims’ families during their moment of grief.
Other notable contributions include ₦32 million, from the Ogun State Government, ₦20 million from the Jigawa State Government and ₦2.2 million and Engr. Sagir Koki.
In total, the total financial support extended to the victims and their families reached ₦321.2 million, alongside 30 bags of rice and housing plots.
The donations were instantly disbursed by the Kano State Accountant General during a special distribution ceremony.
Yusuf also announced the renaming of the Kano Sports Institute in Karfi to “Kano 22 Athletes Institute” as a lasting tribute to the deceased athletes.
To ensure fair Islamic inheritance distribution, Sharia courts have been assigned to oversee the disbursement of ₦6,709,375 to each of the 22 families for the first trench.
Speaking on behalf of the bereaved families, Alhaji Baffa Indabawa, chairman of the victims’ relatives, extended profound gratitude to both the First Lady and the Kano State Government for what he called “a deeply consoling and dignified response” to their tragedy.
The athletes died in a fatal road crash on Saturday, May 31, 2025, near Gadar Yankifi along the Kaduna-Kano expressway whilst returning from the 2024 National Sports Festival in Ogun State.
FOLLOW US ON:
The Federal Government, through the Equipment Leasing Registration Authority under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Finance, has issued a mandatory compliance directive to all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies regarding equipment leasing procedures and documentation in the country.
This was disclosed in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Thursday by the Registrar/CEO of ELRA, Donald Wokoma.
Wokoma said the notice, based on the circular with Ref. No. F/LEG/2809/15/T2/7 dated 27th June 2025 from the Federal Ministry of Finance, formally establishes the operational framework for ELRA and mandates all MDAs to engage the agency on all equipment leasing matters.
According to the circular, all MDAs are now required to interface with ELRA via its official website (www.elra.gov.ng) or designated phone lines (0705 032 4595, 0803 612 7118) for any transactions involving equipment leasing.
“The key directives to MDAs include ensuring that an ELRA registration certificate accompanies all procurement processes involving equipment leasing;
“Registering all lease agreements with ELRA as a prerequisite for procurement eligibility;
“Complying fully with the Public Procurement Act, which aims to streamline leasing operations and support the Federal Government’s revenue mobilisation strategies,” the circular explained.
Wokoma said the new compliance regime was expected to bring transparency, accountability, and regulatory oversight to equipment leasing transactions within public institutions.
He also emphasised the importance of wide circulation and strict adherence to the directive across all government institutions.
“The integration of equipment leasing into a formal registration process will not only boost confidence in lease transactions but also contribute to the overall fiscal efficiency of the government,” Wokoma added.
He, therefore, urged stakeholders to take immediate action to align with the directive to avoid contravening the established regulations.
FOLLOW US ON:
-
Education2 weeks agoHow A Class Of 24 Students Produced 2 Presidents, 4 Governors, 2 Ministers, 4 Emirs, 3 Justices, 4 Ambassadors and Other Influential Leaders
-
News3 weeks ago‘Sleeping Prince’ of Saudi Arabia dies after 20 years in coma
-
News2 weeks agoWhy Do You Continue To Lie Against Your Motherland? Presidency Calls Out Kemi Badenoch
-
News2 weeks agoLagos belongs to no tribe – Sowore kicks against renaming of Charly Boy Bus Stop, others
-
Lifestyle2 weeks agoPeople Who Abandon Their Heritage Do So At Their Own Peril – Gani Adams Warns
-
Politics3 weeks ago‘If I don’t give you electricity, don’t vote for me again’ – ADC reminds Tinubu of failed promise
-
News2 weeks agoYou can’t lie about your country and then we keep quiet – Dabiri-Erewa slams Kemi Badenoch over claim on Nigerian citizenship
-
Lifestyle2 weeks agoActor Odunlade Adekola has sadly lost his father