Johnson Asiedu Nketia
Source: Africa Publicity
The National Chairman of Ghana’s ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has revealed that he narrowly escaped death after a last-minute change prevented him from boarding a military helicopter that later crashed, killing eight people — including two Ghanaian government ministers and the NDC’s Vice Chairman.
Mr. Asiedu Nketia says he was initially scheduled to travel in the ill-fated helicopter on a mission to Obuasi for the launch of Ghana’s Responsible Co-operative Mining and Skills Development Programme (COMSDEP). However, he made a sudden decision to delegate the assignment to NDC Vice Chairman, Dr. Samuel Sarpong, who tragically perished in the crash.
The accident occurred on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region. The victims included:
• Defence Minister, Dr. Edward Kofi Omane Boamah
• Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed
• NDC Vice Chairman, Dr. Samuel Sarpong
• Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator, Alhaji Limuna Muniru Mohammed
• Former parliamentary candidate, Samuel Aboagye
• Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala
• Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu
• Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah
Speaking at the residence of one of the bereaved families, Mr. Asiedu Nketia expressed both sorrow and a sense of divine intervention.
“Allah does what He wants. I was supposed to be on the flight, and at the last minute, I directed my vice chairman, Dr. Sarpong, to go and represent the party, and he accepted it,” he said.
Reflecting on the tragedy, he added, “In your human ways, you may be thinking that if I had not sent Sarpong, maybe he would be alive. But who knows? God might have decided that if this was his time, he would be knocked down by a trotro in Accra. So, we don’t question what Allah wants to do. In all things, we give thanks to Him.”
The crash has left the nation in mourning and serves as a stark reminder of life’s unpredictability.