Ghana’s Vice President, Professor Naana Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has paid an emotional tribute to her fallen colleagues, hailing their devotion to duty, unwavering resolve, and unparalleled commitment to the national cause.
Delivering a moving message, during the funeral service of the helicopter crash victims, she reflected that rather than listening to eulogies, the deceased would have preferred their colleagues to be “throwing up ideas” in pursuit of the national agenda as was their character during countless planning and evaluation meetings.
Professor Naana Opoku-Agyemang described the late officials as individuals whose “determination to succeed was high, focus unwavering, and resolve unambiguous.” Brief conversations with them, she noted, were enough to reveal their passion for using every opportunity to serve Ghana.
The Vice President recalled how she worked closely with Dr. Omane Boamah on the GAF Council, determined to avoid “a tall and cluttered agenda” by clearing matters expeditiously and dutifully tracking assignments. She remembered their delight at collaborating, and her eagerness to learn from them.
Quoting the renowned Ivorian poet Bernard Dadié,Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang reminded mourners that although the dead may not be physically present, their spirits continue to guide and inspire in “the rustling tree, murmuring wood, flowing water” and that “the dead are not dead.”
“We thank you,” she concluded, “for bequeathing to us the gifts of humanness, loyalty, justice, determination, trust, and sheer hard work. You are forever with us in the noble task of resetting our country.”
