Foreign Affairs Minister and MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has paid a heartfelt tribute to his late friend and political ally, Dr. Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, one of the eight victims of the August 6 helicopter crash.
In his eulogy, Ablakwa recalled the unwavering loyalty Dr. Omane Boamah showed during his political journey. “When I decided to contest as MP in my beloved North Tongu, he was with me in every single village during my first primaries in 2012. He was a true and loyal brother,” he said.
Ablakwa revealed how Dr. Omane Boamah played a key role in his political recruitment into the Committee for Joint Action (CJA) and the NDC, under the guidance of Uncle Ato Ahwoi and at the request of the late President John Evans Atta Mills.
Both men, he noted, were also mentored by leading figures such as Dr. Obed Asamoah, Kwasi Pratt Jnr, and President John Dramani Mahama during their activism years between 2006 and 2008.
Known for his fearless spirit, Dr. Omane Boamah often led CJA demonstrations despite police crackdowns.
“His mantra was: let’s organize, not agonize,” Ablakwa recalled, adding that the late minister would want Ghanaians to rally behind President Mahama’s agenda rather than dwell in grief.
Ablakwa recounted two harrowing moments they survived together — a 2008 CJA protest in Tamale disrupted by helicopters stirring up dust, which Omane defied warnings to avoid despite being asthmatic, and a frightening highway gun attack near Techiman while traveling for another protest.
“Omane survived the 2008 helicopters; he didn’t survive the 2025 helicopter,” Ablakwa said solemnly.
He concluded by honouring Dr. Omane Boamah’s bravery, loyalty, and dedication to justice, describing him as “a comrade who never backed down in the face of danger and a brother who stood by you in every battle.”
