Member of Parliament for Oforikrom, Michael Kwasi Aidoo has suggested that the name Kotoka International Airport (KIA) be maintained as it serves as a reminder of Ghana’s story of the 1966 coup.
“I believe the name as it exist now keeps on reminding us of what we went through as a nation because that was the first step towards our coup d’état or our revolution from Kotoka, Afrifa, Acheampong and then J.J. Rawlings came and then eventually during his regime, Kotoka and all these people, i think they were sent to the Firing Squard and then they were all killed and all that, so there’s also a reminder of the 1966 coup before the removal of Dr Kwae Nkrumah,” he said.
“All these events and historical antecedence are there and i believe we shouldn’t rush to change the name yet,” he stressed.
Mr Kwasi Aidoo was sharing his thought on Joy Prime following a lawsuit from Democracy Hub, and the Convention People’s Party (CPP) at the Supreme Court seeking the removal of “Kotoka” from the country’s International airport.
In a statement issued on Monday, February 24, they contend that honouring Lieutenant-General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, a key figure in the 1966 coup d’état, contradicts Ghana’s democratic values, asserting that retaining Kotoka’s name on a national monument signifies state endorsement of unconstitutional actions.
They advocate for renaming the airport to reaffirm Ghana’s commitment to democratic governance, but the Oforikrom MP noted that changing the name based on how some people feel may not help as there may, also be a possibility that an alternateive name may also generate unneccessary chaos in future, citing the changing of the name Flag Staff House to the Jubilee House controversy.
“So i believe that we should rather live it as it is, and then even if we change the name, it should be the Ghana International Airport which will symbolise and will create unity amongst the people rather than naming it after a particular person that will degenerate into something else.”
“I believe sometimes when you are trying to hide your pain, you rather do damage to yourself, sometimes you should have your scare so that it reminds you of what you’ve gone through.”
“At the end of the day if Kotoka’s name is there, anybody who enters the country will ask, who is Kotoka and it will bring back the history and people will now dig, and if we erase that name today, it will get to a point that people will now forget that somebody overthrown and those who were fighting for the name to be removed, it will get to a point our grandchildren will come and the history will be changed and they will even regret removing that name. So i think we should leave it as it is, it tells a story, it is the scare that is on the nation and it helps us to remember [the year] 66”.
Lieutenant General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka (26 September 1926 – 17 April 1967) was a Ghanaian military officer instrumental in the 24 February 1966 coup d’état that overthrew President Kwame Nkrumah’s government.
Born in Alakple, Volta Region, Kotoka enlisted in the Gold Coast Regiment in 1947 and rose through the ranks.
Following the coup, he served on the National Liberation Council until his assassination during a failed counter-coup on 17 April 1967.
