Africa-Press – Ghana. A book of condolence has been opened at the Central Regional Coordinating Council (CRCC) to honour the eight victims of Wednesday’s tragic military helicopter crash that claimed their lives.
It has been placed at the CRCC conference room where Mr Ekow Panyin Okyere Eduamoah, the Regional Minister, was the first to sign on Friday evening, followed by Prof Francisca Dora Edu-Buandoh, Ghana’s High Commissioner to Canada as well as the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) members.
Others are Mr Bless Kwame Darkey, Regional Coordinating Director and Mr Kwesi Dawood Mensah, Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organization.
Heads of State institutions, Departments and Agencies took turns to sign the book as the public awaits their turn on Monday, August 11.
The condolence book is accessible as part of a national mourning available to allow Ghanaians to pay their respects to the fallen heroes, who include high-ranking government officials and members of the Ghana Air Force.
The victims include Defence Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah, Environment Minister Dr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Alhaji Muniru Mohammed, NDC Vice Chairman Dr Samuel Sarpong, and NADMO Deputy Director-General Samuel Aboagye, along with Squadron Leader Peter Anala, Flying Officer Tsum Ampadu and Sergeant Ernest Nii Addo Mensah, whose widow is from Cape Coast.
Consequently, the Central Regional Minister led the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) to visit the famous “Kofi and Ama Fie,” near OLA College of Education where Mrs Mercy Mensah lives, to console her.
The Ghana News Agency observed that the silence between the tears and the few spoken words, lingered the reverberation of a life of true love and family bonding obviously interrupted too soon.
Mrs Mensah, the young widow, wept uncontrollably; portraying a shattered soul caused by the cruel hand of fate that snatched away her husband just one month after they had exchanged vows.
The house was shrouded not only in the colour of mourning but in an overwhelming cloud of grief as friends and family gathered, unable to stem the relentless tide of tears that poured from Mrs Mensah’s eyes like a river breaking its banks.
The widow, only 27 years old, clad in the sombre black of traditional mourning, stood as a fragile pillar caught between acceptance and disbelief.
She had found in her husband not only love but friendship, a companion whose sudden absence left an emptiness that echoed in every corner of their home.
Mrs Mensah, a teacher at Akyem Ayirebi Senior High School, in the Eastern Region, is one of four sisters, with the three walking the paths of service and faith: one is a seminarian at the Trinity Theological Seminary in Accra and two others are nurses.
Their father, Mr Samuel Amoah, a humble yet influential figure, serves as the driver to the Bishop of the Cape Coast Diocese of the Methodist Church.
Though the widow’s extended family resides at Kwaprow near the University of Cape Coast, her connection to the Methodist Bishop of Cape Coast and family runs deep and personal, as she has been nurtured under his spiritual care for years.
The Regional Minister described the calamity as a wound felt across the entire country and urged all families, all citizens, to find strength amid despair.
“Your loss is our loss,” he said, voice steady yet steeped in empathy, “for these were not mere victims but dedicated public servants, tireless intellectuals whose lives were devoted to forging a better Ghana.”
The Minister solemnly pledged that the government would honour the memory and efforts of those lost by providing state support to their families, ensuring that their sacrifices would not be forgotten or rendered meaningless.
Adding a profound layer to the mournful occasion, Bishop Andam received the delegation with words rooted in ancient wisdom.
He invoked the biblical story of Job, he poignantly reflected on the fragility of human existence, the stark reality that life is brief and often enveloped in suffering.
Citing Job 14:1, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble,” the Bishop reminded all present of life’s ephemeral nature, the shared vulnerability of humanity and the inescapable sorrow woven through our earthly journey.
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