Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo Markin has described the proposed move to rename Kotoka International Airport as a political indictment, accusing key government figures from the Volta Region of remaining silent while a historic symbol linked to the region is being removed.
Reacting to the controversy, Hon. Afenyo Markin questioned the rationale behind the decision to remove General Emmanuel Kotoka’s name from the country’s main international airport, arguing that the move is unnecessary.
“All these years we’ve had General Kotoka’s name on the airport and suddenly it’s being changed, what is it? After all, it is Kotoka International Airport, Accra. Accra is still there. I’m not suggesting any other name. All I’m saying is that the name Kotoka International Airport, Accra already includes Accra, so there is no need to remove Kotoka from it,” he said.
He stressed that the renaming effort undermines regional balance and erases one of the few national monuments associated with the Volta Region.
“If you come to Accra or even look across the country, how many prominent Voltarians have their names on national assets or national monuments? This is the only thing the people of the Volta Region can at least point to as recognition of heroism from the region, and now even that is being taken away from them,” he added.
He called on senior NDC figures from the Volta Region who currently occupy influential positions in government, accusing them of watching passively as the region loses a symbol of national pride.
“Well, Hon. Kwame Agbodza is from Volta, Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa is from Volta and he is sitting in Cabinet, Hon. Fifi Kotei is the General Secretary of the NDC from the Volta Region, and Hon. Ahiafor, the First Deputy Speaker in this government, is also from Volta. They are all sitting by and watching the government take away a Volta Region name that has been given to our airport, something successive governments never attempted to change,” he stated.
According to him, the silence of these leaders raises serious questions about leadership responsibility and regional advocacy within the governing party.
“At this time and age, when they are from Volta and part of the government, they are watching the Volta Region lose its pride. It is up to them,” he said.
He described the development as an indictment and called on the party’s support base, particularly in the Volta Region, to oppose the move, warning that the erasure of historical national symbols sets a dangerous precedent.
The proposed renaming has sparked renewed national debate over history, political legacy, and the preservation of Ghana’s national monuments, with pressure mounting on the government to reconsider its position.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Tamara Owusu Ansah
