The Member of Parliament for Tolon, Alhaji Habib Iddrisu, has called on President John Mahama to make public the findings of the committee investigating the 6 August military helicopter crash, which claimed the lives of eight Ghanaians, including the Minister for Defence and the Minister for Environment, Science and Technology.
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Tuesday (28 October), Alhaji Iddrisu said the government’s silence since the committee’s 30-day deadline elapsed has left families and citizens in uncertainty about what really happened on the day of the tragedy.
“We have not been briefed as to what is going on — whether the committee has finished its work or submitted its report,” the MP said.
“This is a national tragedy, unprecedented in our history, and Ghanaians deserve to know exactly what happened.”
The Tolon legislator revealed that he has formally written to the president under Article 21(1)(f) of the 1992 Constitution and Section 18 of the Right to Information Act (Act 989), requesting either a full disclosure or an official update on the committee’s findings.
He stressed that the public has the right to know whether the helicopter involved was airworthy, what was contained in the recovered black box, and what caused the fatal crash.
“If the black box has been recovered, we need to know what conversations or recordings were retrieved,” he said. “This will help guide future aviation safety and improve the Defence Ministry’s capacity.”
Alhaji Iddrisu also questioned why the autopsies and parts of the investigation had to be conducted abroad, insisting that Ghana should build the capacity to handle such critical analyses locally.
Responding to suggestions that his demands were politically motivated, the MP dismissed such claims as baseless.
“This is not about politics,” he said. “Those who died were public servants — not party officials. As a citizen and MP, I am seeking information within my right. Transparency is what strengthens democracy.”
He further aligned himself with the Minority’s call for the appointment of a substantive Minister for Defence, arguing that national security cannot be effectively managed by a caretaker minister.
“Ghana’s defence is too important to be left without a substantive minister,” he said. “We must have someone accountable to the Commander-in-Chief and the people of Ghana.”
Alhaji Habib Iddrisu expressed confidence that the presidency would respond to his request within the stipulated 14-day period under the RTI Act.
Source: asaaseradio.com
