A founding member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, has waded into the debate on the renaming of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), arguing that Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, would have opposed such a move.
Speaking exclusively to GhanaWeb’s Etsey Atisu on The Lowdown, he stressed that altering historically significant names risks erasing important aspects of the country’s past.
Kotoka International Airport to be changed to Accra International Airport
“I believe strongly that if Nkrumah were alive today, he would not have agreed to the change of the name. Nations that have developed, you always see figures in form of statues and each one shows something in particular. Now, if you attach emotional feelings towards certain things, you easily destroy history,” he said.
He acknowledged the controversial role of Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka in Ghana’s history but insisted that it remains an undeniable fact.
“The fact that Kotoka was a coup leader cannot be denied. I don't know him, I've never seen him in my life but the fact that he was a coup leader cannot be denied by anybody. That is a historical fact,” the statesman indicated.
Drawing parallels with past actions, Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe recounted the destruction of a statue of Kwame Nkrumah after his overthrow, describing it as a regrettable mistake.
“We used to have, almost immediately after independence, a statue of Kwame Nkrumah, well built by an Italian sculptor. It was placed right in front of the old parliament house where he stood and declared his country a free nation. When he was removed from power, the emotionally charged people destroyed it,” he stated.
He lamented that even when the statue could not be manually pulled down, machinery was used to bring it down, with the remains now reportedly kept at a museum abroad.
“When they couldn't even bring it down physically themselves, they had to use machines to pull it down and it's lying somewhere now at the National Museum in Antwerp. That was a big mistake and exactly, unfortunately, that is what we are repeating now,” he continued.
The veteran politician further questioned the timing and necessity of any such decision, suggesting there has been no public demand for the change.
“…In politics, you watch the mood of the people and you come out with certain things. Is that the time to bring such a change? Has there been agitation by any group of people that this must be changed?” he queried.
He also reiterated his long-held view that Kwame Nkrumah remains Ghana’s sole founder, warning against attempts to rewrite history.
“I don't believe in what people term the founders. We have one founder and that is Nkrumah but somewhere along the line, in his political life, after having done a lot for the nation, he was removed so, it becomes a historical fact. You don't come to destroy it and that is one big mistake we have been making in this country,” he argued.
Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe raised concerns about due process, questioning whether Parliament had been consulted on the reported change.
“In any case, I'm told the name has been changed already. Have they gone through the process of going through Parliament? Parliament or parliamentarians represent the people,” he stated.
He stressed that such a decision should follow democratic procedures and reflect the will of the people.
“No, when we talk about democracy, there are issues that you have to pass through Parliament. This is one of them. Before even such a major decision is taken, you find out from your constituencies whether they agree or not and this will be debated in a democratic way. When it is put into vote, what the majority will say is what will be pursued,” he noted.
Comparing the situation to international examples, he cited the naming of John F Kennedy International Airport as a case where history is preserved through national symbols.
“Accra is the capital of the country and what they had there before, Kotoka International Airport, Accra, is just like flying to New York. The airport there is called JFK Airport. JFK didn't die there but in Texas. Yet, the airport has been named after him for something that he did historically. So, as I'm saying, the history should not be changed or distorted. That is where my problem is,” he maintained.
How BBC reported the removal of Kotoka's name from Ghana's main airport
He concluded by criticising the potential cost implications of such a move, describing it as an unnecessary burden on the state.
“Unnecessary waste of state funds in doing all these things. When we cry, we don't have money; that money can be used in buying better ambulances to see to emergency cases. This is a huge amount of money so, I personally disagree entirely,” Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe concluded.
MAG/VPO
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