Mahama Must Be Commended for Upholding Ghanaian Tradition – Fio Richardson Commey

President John Dramani Mahama must be commended for his decision to appoint substantive replacements for the late Dr Edward Omane Boamah and Alhaji Dr Murtala Muhammed exactly one year after their death in the tragic August 6, 2025 helicopter crash, according to Fio Richardson Commey, Special Aide to the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts.

Speaking to KPDonline, Mr Commey said the President’s decision to observe a full year before permanently filling the two key government positions reflects a profound alignment with Ghanaian cultural values surrounding mourning, remembrance and closure.

He argued that by allowing the one-year period to elapse before making permanent appointments, President Mahama demonstrated respect for the deceased statesmen, their families and the wider Ghanaian society.

According to him, the decision supports the cultural significance of the one-year cycle, commonly associated with ‘Afehyia’ in some Ghanaian traditions, as a period after which heavy mourning formally comes to an end and families are able to take major decisions concerning leadership, property and other responsibilities.

Mr. Commey explained that within Akan traditional settings, major family and leadership decisions, including the appointment of successors to vacant stools or family headships, have traditionally been deferred until final mourning rites have been observed.

He said this practice is intended to provide a period of closure, allow families to honour the departed and ensure that important decisions are not made while emotions surrounding the death remain intense.

He also pointed to Northern and Islamic traditions, noting that although Islamic practice requires burial to take place shortly after death, commemorative prayers and the final organisation of responsibilities and estate matters can also provide important points of closure for families.

For Mr. Commey, these cultural practices demonstrate that the passage of time following the death of a prominent person can carry social and spiritual significance beyond the administrative considerations of government.

He maintained that across several Ghanaian ethnic groups, immediately replacing a prominent person who dies while serving the state could be perceived as failing to give adequate respect to the deceased.

“Waiting for the one-year mark shows that the vacuum left behind was treated with sacred weight rather than as a mere administrative inconvenience,” he argued.

Acting Ministers Were Not a Sign of Weakness

Mr Commey further defended the use of acting ministers during the one-year period, rejecting arguments that the arrangement created a governance vacuum or unnecessarily stretched the administration.

He said temporary caretakers have long existed within Ghanaian traditional governance systems and cited arrangements such as the ‘Gbong Lana’ in Dagbon and regencies associated with Akan stools as examples of temporary leadership mechanisms designed to preserve continuity during periods of transition.

According to him, the use of acting ministers allowed government operations to continue while permanent decisions were deferred.

“The acting ministers successfully held the fort, proving that the state apparatus was robust enough to handle the transition,” he said.

Mr. Commey therefore described claims of a governance vacuum as unfounded, arguing that the system continued to function while the nation and the affected families observed the period of mourning.

He said the arrangement demonstrated that temporary leadership does not necessarily constitute weakness but can instead provide institutional stability while allowing society to go through an important transition.

A Humanised Approach to Governance

Mr. Commey further argued that President Mahama’s decision humanised the state by showing that public officials are not merely occupants of political offices but human beings whose lives and contributions deserve recognition after their death.

He said waiting until the one-year anniversary before permanently assigning the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Environment portfolios gave the nation and the families of the deceased statesmen an opportunity to reach a significant point of closure.

“Delaying replacement until the grieving nation and families reached the one-year closure point therefore bestows fitting dignity upon statesmen who died serving the Republic,” he said.

He added that such an approach could strengthen public trust and loyalty, which he believes are more valuable to long-term political stability than hurried political appointments.

Call to Depoliticise the Decision

The Special Aide to the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts also called on the public to avoid viewing President Mahama’s decision purely through a partisan political lens.

He urged cultural advocates and members of the public who support the integration of Ghanaian customs and traditions into modern governance to recognise what he described as the President’s acknowledgement of the country’s cultural heritage.

Mr Commey said President Mahama should instead be appreciated for prioritising Ghanaian heritage and cultural considerations over political expediency by waiting exactly one year before making the substantive appointments.

He stressed that Ghana’s constitutional democracy should not be viewed solely as a legal and administrative system but also as a moral community shaped by the values and traditions of its people.

According to him, the authority of a constitution ultimately depends on the confidence and moral legitimacy that citizens attach to the leadership of the state.

“A constitution only has power if the people believe in the moral authority of their leader,” he said, arguing that Ghanaian governance should seek to harmonise modern constitutional principles with indigenous values rather than treating culture as something separate from public administration.

Cultural Precedent for Future Leaders

Mr. Commey concluded that President Mahama’s decision could establish a culturally significant precedent for future governments.

He maintained that modern democracy does not necessarily have to be detached from indigenous wisdom and that governance can function effectively while respecting deeply rooted cultural values.

He said the President’s action reinforces Ghana’s national identity and demonstrates that governance can be more effective when it takes into account the societal values of the people it serves.

“What President Mahama has done sets a culturally dignified precedent for future leaders,” Mr. Commey said.

The comments come as President Mahama names substantive replacements for the late Dr Edward Omane Boamah and Alhaji Dr Murtala Muhammed one year after the August 6, 2025 helicopter tragedy that claimed their lives.