Dear President John Dramani Mahama,

Wednesday, August 6, 2025, will be etched in our collective memory as yet another dark and dreadful day in Ghana’s history—much like 24th July 2012, when we lost our late President, John Evans Atta Mills.

On what should have been an ordinary Wednesday, the nation was thrown into mourning with the heartbreaking news of a helicopter crash that claimed the lives of eight patriotic citizens. These were not just names on a manifest—they were Ghanaian leaders on a mission to champion responsible mining and push back the tide of destruction caused by illegal small-scale mining, otherwise known as galamsey.

Their mission was noble, urgent, and necessary. And now, it has ended in tragedy.

Among the fallen are:

• Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Minister of Defence
• Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister for Environment, Science and Technology
• Alhaji Muniru Mohammed Limuna, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator
• Dr. Samuel Sarpong, Vice Chairman of the NDC and former Ashanti Regional Minister
• Samuel Aboagye, Deputy Director-General of the Disaster Relief Agency
• Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Pilot
• Flying Officer Manaen Twum-Ampadu, Co-pilot
• Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah, Aircrew

These eight brave men—now remembered across the country as #The8—paid the ultimate price in pursuit of a vision many have long spoken about but too few have acted on: a Ghana free from the grip of galamsey.

Mr. President, this is not just a tragic accident. This is a national alarm bell, violently rung. A call to action. A reckoning.

Why You Must Declare a State of Emergency

The galamsey crisis has long spiraled out of control. What once began as an economic survival mechanism has now mutated into a complex, dangerous web of environmental destruction, corruption, and violence. Despite taskforces, media campaigns, and political declarations, illegal mining continues to ravage our rivers, poison our lands, and erode the soul of the nation.

But today, it took eight lives. Eight visionaries. Eight lives Ghana cannot replace.

A State of Emergency, Mr. President, is no longer an option—it is a necessity. And here’s why:

The galamsey menace is now literally costing lives. While communities near mining zones have long suffered the silent deaths of mercury poisoning, river contamination, and poor crop yields, the death of these eight high-profile leaders should awaken the nation to the scale of the threat.

Our rivers—Ankobra, Pra, Offin, and Birim—are unrecognizable. What once gave life now bears only sludge. The Ghana Water Company has already raised concerns about the rising cost of water treatment. This is no longer an isolated issue—it is national collapse in slow motion.

Illegal mining has become militarized. Armed groups, foreign actors, and underground networks are now embedded in our forests. From smuggled excavators to gun-toting syndicates, galamsey has become an ecosystem of lawlessness.

From district assemblies to local police and even portions of the judiciary, enforcement efforts are routinely undermined. A State of Emergency would activate special powers that bypass bureaucratic paralysis and bring about decisive enforcement.

The deaths of Dr. Omane Boamah, Dr. Murtala, and the rest of #The8 must not become “just another sad story.” Declaring a State of Emergency would signal to the nation and the world that Ghana is serious. That these lives were not lost in vain. That we will fight back—with resolve and direction.

Mr. President, this is your moment. You are not just Ghana’s leader—you are now the bearer of this nation's pain. You must rise above partisanship, bureaucracy, and convenience to do the right thing. Declare a State of Emergency—not out of fear, but out of duty.

Let their final journey not end in silence. Let it spark a movement. Let it mark the beginning of the end for galamsey.

Do it for the families grieving tonight.

Do it for the school child drinking poisoned water.

Do it for the farmer with no land left to till.

Do it for the memory of #The8.

Do it for Ghana.