Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed

The Honourable
Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed
MP
Muhammed in 2021
Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation
In office
February 2025 – 6 August 2025
PresidentJohn Mahama
Preceded byKwaku Afriyie
Succeeded byVacant
Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry
In office
16 July 2014 – 6 January 2017
PresidentJohn Mahama
MinisterEkwow Spio-Garbrah
Preceded byEdwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye
Succeeded byCarlos Kingsley Ahenkorah
Deputy Minister for Information
In office
March 2013 – 16 July 2014
Serving with Felix Kwakye Ofosu
PresidentJohn Mahama
MinisterMahama Ayariga
Preceded bySamuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Succeeded byFelix Kwakye Ofosu
Member of Parliament
In office
7 January 2021 – 6 August 2025
Preceded byInusah Fuseini
Succeeded byVacant
ConstituencyTamale Central
In office
2013 – 6 January 2017
Preceded byIddrisu Abdul-Kareem
Succeeded byMohammed Hardi Tuferu
ConstituencyNanton
Personal details
Born(1974-12-14)14 December 1974
Tamale, Ghana
Died6 August 2025(2025-08-06) (aged 50)
Adansi District, Ashanti Region, Ghana
Political partyNDC
Education
Occupation
  • Politician
  • development planner

Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed (14 December 1974 – 6 August 2025) was a Ghanaian politician who served as the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation and as a member of parliament until his death in the 2025 Ghanaian Air Force helicopter crash.

He previously served as the Deputy Minister for Information and Media Relations and the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry.[1][2] In December 2024, he was re-elected to serve as Member of Parliament for Tamale Central Constituency.

Early life and education

Muhammed Murtala began his basic education at Tamale Presby Basic School (Kulikuli School) before enrolling at Ghana Senior High School in Tamale.[3] He was a trained teacher who held a teacher's certificate A from Tamale College of Education (TACE), formerly Tamale training College (TATCO).[4] He also held a master's degree in Development Planning and International Relations and Diplomacy from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the University of Ghana respectively.[4]

Political career

In 2009, after a change of political power from the NPP to NDC, Muhammed was appointed the deputy national coordinator of the National Youth Employment Program (NYEP) by John Evans Atta Mills which was later rebranded into Ghana Youth Employment Development Agency, (GYEDA).[5][6] He held this position until he was elected Member of Parliament for the Nanton Constituency in the 2012 Elections.

Member of Parliament

In 2006, following the decision by Wayo Seini, MP for Tamale Central constituency to defect to the NPP, a by-election was declared to fill the vacancy. Muhammed stood for the NDC primaries but lost to Inusah Fuseini who eventually won the by-election to replace Wayo Seini. Muhammed contested his party's primaries in 2008 and lost again to Fuseini who went on to retain his position in Parliament. Muhammed went on to contest for the primaries in the Nanton Constituency and this time, he won to represent the NDC as its Parliamentary candidate for the 2012 election.[7]

2012 Parliamentary elections

Muhammed served as a member of parliament for the Nanton Constituency in the sixth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana.[8][9] In December 2012, he won the parliamentary election to represent the Nanton constituency by garnering 10,369 votes representing 52.66% of the total votes cast against his closest contender who was the incumbent member of parliament, Abdul-Kareem Iddrisu who got 8,667 votes representing 44.02%.[10]

2016 Parliamentary elections

In 2016, after serving one term in parliament, he lost his bid to be re-elected as member of parliament to Mohammed Hardi Tuferu. Tuferu garnered 11,346 votes representing 51.84% against Muhammed's 10,451 votes representing 47.75% of the votes cast.[11][12] Ahead of the elections, Muhammed was heard publicly accusing an NDC MP in the northern region of plotting to unseat him.[9]

2020 Parliamentary elections

After the member of parliament for Tamale Central Inusah Fuseini decided not to seek re-election in the 2020 elections, Muhammed contested his Party’s parliamentary primaries.[13][14] In August 2019, he won the primaries after getting 737 votes against his two contenders Alhassan Adam and Abdul Hanan Gundado who got 181 votes and 319 votes respectively.[15][16] He went on to win the main election, securing his return to parliament as MP for Tamale Central by obtaining 41,156 votes while the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Ibrahim Anyars got 33,699 votes.[17] In Parliament, Muhammed was a member of the Public Accounts Committee and Trade and Industry committees.[18]

2024 parliamentary election

In December 2024, he won the parliamentary election on the ticket of the NDC to represent Tamale Central by securing 52,263 votes while his opponent had 16,647 votes. He retained the seat as MP for Tamale Central.[19][20]

As a minister of State

In March 2013, John Mahama appointed Muhammed as Deputy Minister for Information and Media Relations and subsequently Trade and Industry under the John Mahama government from between 2013–2017.[7] After serving in that capacity for a year, the Ministry of Information and Media Relations and the Ministry of Communications were merged and Muhammed was moved along with Kweku Rickets-Hagan to serve as deputy ministers under new Trade and Industry Minister, Ekwow Spio Garbrah.[21][22] He served in this role until his party lost the 2016 elections and handed over government to the New Patriotic Party in January 2017.[7]

In January 2025, President John Mahama appointed Murtala as the substantive Minister for Environment, Science and Technology. He assumed office on 12 February upon his approval by the president.[23][24]

Personal life

Muhammed was a Muslim and was married with three children.[4]

Death

On 6 August 2025, Muhammed died in a military helicopter crash while travelling to Obuasi, in the Ashanti Region, for an event to combat galamsey (illegal mining).[25] He was aboard a Ghana Armed Forces Z-9 helicopter that went down in the Adansi Akrofuom District. The crash killed all eight people on board, including the Minister of Defence, Edward Omane Boamah, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Limuna Mohammed Muniru, and NDC Vice Chairman Samuel Sarpong.[26] He was buried on 10 August 2025.[27] He and other victims of the crash were accorded a state funeral in Accra on 15 August that was attended by President John Mahama.[28]

References

  1. ^ ultimatefmonline.com (31 December 2016). "My defeat was internally inflicted – Murtala Muhammed". GhanaWeb. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  2. ^ "Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, Please Do Your Homework Before You Speak!". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  3. ^ "Biography of Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed". 15 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  4. ^ a b c "Ghana MPs – MP Details – Muhammed, Muritala Ibrahim". GhanaMps. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  5. ^ "NYEP changed to GYEDA". GhanaWeb. 19 July 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  6. ^ "Abuga Pele's prosecution "sad" – Murtala". GhanaWeb. 25 January 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  7. ^ a b c Abdulai, Azure Imoro (2 April 2019). "Murtala Mohammed Eyes Tamale Central Parliamentary Seat". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  8. ^ "I'm not arrogant; I'm peaceful, humble – Murtala Mohammed". GhanaWeb. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  9. ^ a b "MP plotting to unseat me – Murtala Mohammed". Citi 97.3 FM – Relevant Radio. Always. 9 April 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  10. ^ "Nanton Constituency Results – Election 2012". Peace FM. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  11. ^ "Nanton Constituency Results – Election 2016". Peace FM. Archived from the original on 9 December 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  12. ^ "Murtala Mohammed loses Nantong seat to NPP". Citi 97.3 FM – Relevant Radio. Always. 8 December 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  13. ^ "Jostling for Tamale Central NDC parliamentary seat begins as Inusah Fuseini bows out from parliament". Graphic Online. 19 September 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  14. ^ "My decision not to contest in 2020 does not mean I'm exiting Parliament forever – Inusah Fuseini". GhanaWeb. 16 July 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  15. ^ "NDC Primaries: Murtala wins Tamale Central". GBC Ghana Online. 25 August 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  16. ^ "NDC Parliamentary Primaries results". The Ghana Report. 25 August 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  17. ^ "NDC's Murtala wins Tamale Central". 8 December 2020.
  18. ^ "Hon. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed". Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  19. ^ "Ibrahim Mutala Mohammed retains Tamale Central seat in 2024 Election". Graphic Online. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  20. ^ "Provisional results of the December 7 2024 Parliamentary Election". 3news.com. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  21. ^ "Full list of Ministers out; Spio-Garbrah in as Information Ministry scrapped". Graphic Online. 16 July 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  22. ^ "Chinese Ambassador to Ghana H.E. Sun Baohong Visited the Northern Region". China-Embassy Ghana. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  23. ^ "Hon. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed Assumed Office as Minister for MEST – MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY". Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  24. ^ "Environment Ministry should lead galamsey fight, not Lands Ministry – Murtala Muhammed - MyJoyOnline". www.myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  25. ^ "Edward Omane Boamah: Ghana helicopter crash kills minister of defence". BBC. 7 August 2025. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  26. ^ "Omane Boamah, Murtala Mohammed, six others dead in military helicopter crash". Citinewsroom. 6 August 2025. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  27. ^ https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/LIVESTREAMED-Final-burial-rites-for-Dr-Murtala-Mohammed-and-Alhaji-Muniru-1995504
  28. ^ "Ghana holds state funeral for 8 helicopter crash victims". Africanews. 16 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
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