General News of Friday, 18 May 2001

Source: .

Rename Kotoka Airport - CPP

The Eastern Regional branch of the Convention People's Party (CPP), has suggested to the government to rename the Kotoka International Airport as the Ghana International Airport to portray a more positive picture of the country's democracy. "

The late General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka did nothing prominent in Ghana to justify naming such an important place after him," it said. This was contained in a statement signed by the first regional vice-chairman , Nana Owusu Sekyere, and the regional secretary, Mr Kwabena Appea, at Koforidua.

Ghana's foremost international airport was named after General Kotoka who was murdered in 1967, after leading a group of Army officers to oust the CPP Government of the late Dr Kwame Nkrumah on February 24, 1966.

The statement said in view of the fact that the 1966 coup has now been "negated, and given the present government's abhorrence of coups, there is no earthly reason why the name Kotoka International Airport should not be changed. It said the continuous use of the name is a mockery of the nation's democratic process.