By Nelson Ayivor
Elder statesman, Dr. Nyaho Nyaho Tamakloe has called for an immediate withdrawal of government’s decision to rename the Kotoka International Airport to Accra International Airport.
The Transport Minister is expected to present a bill to Parliament for the renaming of the airport. The Majority Leader has also confirmed the decision during a press conference in Parliament.
Speaking in a recent interview on TV3, the elder statesman noted that despite the unpleasant and undeniable fact that Kotoka was involved in the 1966 coup, it is part of the nation’s history and cannot be erased.
“I think we have to learn from the past. Kotoka amongst others planned and staged the coup and any Pan-African definitely did not agree with that. However, it is part of our history and the moment you erase that, someone else will come later and repeat the same thing. That’s why the white people keep their records, we don’t keep our records,” he said.
He explained that Kotoka did not name the airport after himself and that taking off the Kotoka name would not change history and his involvement in the 1966 coup.
“No one will deny the fact that Kotoka was a coup maker, no one will deny the fact that Afrifa was a coup maker, they didn’t put the name there themselves. It was a government that put the name there and it is just to remind the people of this country that we have passed through a certain stage in our history.
“Removing the name Kotoka from there would not in anyway erase what happened. So the explanation the Minister gave is so raw,” he stated.
He urged government to suspend its decision, arguing that renaming the KIA would cost huge sums of money and needless at the moment.
“I believe strongly that those who came up with this idea and were able to push it to government must immediately withdraw it and I must tell the President, John Mahama that he should be very careful with his advisors if he has one,” he emphasised.
“For them to bring this thing just a year after coming to power surprises me greatly. In the first place, is it important? Secondly, such thing like the change of names involves a lot of money and the nation has no money–There are more important issues to discuss,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe has defended the move, insisting that it was part of a broader restructuring effort aimed at restoring the facility to its original name (Accra International Airport).
Addressing journalists during a working visit to the State Transport Corporation on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, the Minister maintained that the move to change the name to Accra International Airport has no political linen to it.
“This is one of the issues that the Ministry of Transport and for that matter government presented to Parliament as part of our activities for this period of recall. Renaming the Airport to Accra International Airport is of significance importance to the Ghanaian people and for that matter the African personality.
“We are not doing this with any political thinking, this is coming from a very neutral point of view that Accra is our capital city, not anybody’s name. If we want to name other monuments or any other national facilities after people, this is the time that we are looking at restructuring them,” the Minister noted.