The Minister of Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, has dismissed claims that the proposed renaming of the Kotoka International Airport is politically motivated.
Addressing growing public debate on the issue, the Minister said the move is simply to restore the airport’s original name, Accra International Airport, as it was known during the era of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
Speaking during a working visit to the State Transport Company (STC) terminal in Accra, the Minister said that the decision is not based on politics.
“We are not doing this with any political thinking. We are coming from a very neutral point of view that Accra is our capital city. It is not anybody’s name,” he said.
He explained that the proposal forms part of the Ministry of Transport’s legislative agenda currently before Parliament.
“This is one of the issues the Ministry of Transport, and for that matter government presented to Parliament.”
“Parliament will be expected to pass a lot of bills, and as part of the government’s agenda, one of the bills from the Ministry of Transport is the renaming of the Kotoka International Airport to its original name,” he said.
Providing historical context, the Minister recalled that the airport site was first used by the British Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
“We will remember that around 1946, the British Royal Air Force used that place as an air force base to carry people to war and other activities,” he said.
According to him, the facility was later handed over to civilian authorities in 1956, when Dr Nkrumah was leading the country.
“That was the time Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah was at the helm of affairs. He retooled, revamped, and redeveloped the air force base into a civilian passenger airport, and at that time, the name was Accra International Airport,” he explained.
The Minister said that the name Accra International Airport holds national and continental significance.
“We have all accepted that Accra is our capital city. It is rich in culture and also has a locational identity. Everybody, especially in the West Africa sub-region, knows that the struggle for independence had a lot to do with Accra.”
He added that renaming the airport after the capital city reflects Ghana’s identity and history.
“Renaming the airport to Accra International Airport is of significant importance to the Ghanaian people and for that matter the African personality,” he stated.
He further explained that the current name of the airport was linked to events many Ghanaians find troubling.
“For the fact that the name was changed to honour somebody in his role in the 1966 coup, we feel that that history is not what Ghanaians would want to hear,” he said.
The Minister appealed to history and national memory, saying restoring the original name would honour Ghana’s founding leadership.
“The airport had an original name given by the first President. We should go back to that. Kwame Nkrumah himself, wherever his spirit may be, will remember that when he comes home, it will be to his original Accra International Airport,” he said.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com