A concerned citizen, Steven Odarteifio, has renewed calls for the renaming of Ghana’s main international gateway, Kotoka International Airport, arguing that the name fails to reflect the values and historical consciousness of the nation.
Addressing a press conference today in Accra, Mr Odarteifio expressed dissatisfaction with the airport bearing the name of Lt.-Gen. E.K. Kotoka for six decades, citing the circumstances surrounding Ghana’s 1966 military coup.
“For the past 60 years, which commemorates the overthrow of President Nkrumah on 24th February 1966, the name has remained. This year marks 60 years, and it just does not sit well with my conscience that the name of the very man who overthrew our founding President is at the front door of the Republic,” he said.
Mr Odarteifio noted that Lt.-Gen. Kotoka, one of the leaders of the 1966 coup, was shot and killed at the then Accra International Airport, after which the facility was renamed in his honour.
The convener of the initiative urged state authorities to reconsider the continued use of the name, arguing that it symbolises an era Ghanaians should reflect on critically rather than celebrate.
“We are here, in humility but with firmness, to ask: how can we, as a people, continue to honour the memory of overthrow at the very door of the Republic?” he questioned.
He added that the airport represents more than infrastructure but rather, ” the nation’s handshake. It is the first greeting. It is the first sentence Ghana speaks to the world,” Mr Odarteifio said.
