Sekou Nkrumah, son of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, has described the ongoing debate over the renaming of Kotoka International Airport as largely irrelevant to the daily lives of Ghanaians.
In a viral video on social media, Sekou Nkrumah said, “It’s not a bread-and-butter issue,” adding that the discussion risks reopening old political divisions rather than addressing pressing national concerns.
He traced the historical context of the airport’s name, noting that Lt Gen Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, a key figure in the 1966 coup that overthrew Dr Nkrumah, was killed near the airport during a failed counter-coup in 1967. The National Liberation Council government later named the airport after Kotoka around 1969.
“All these years where the name has not changed, I’m not too sure why now,” Sekou Nkrumah said.
He argued that most Ghanaians are not directly affected by whether the airport is called Kotoka International Airport or Accra International Airport.
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He further questioned the rationale behind renaming the airport.
“If the idea is that because Kotoka was a coup maker, we shouldn’t name anything after him, then we must apply the same logic to other past leaders who came to power through coups,” he said.
Sekou Nkrumah cautioned that reopening debates about the airport’s name could stir political tension and take the country back to a sensitive period in its history.
He emphasised the need to focus on national development and current challenges rather than revisiting past conflicts.
While acknowledging Dr Nkrumah’s achievements, Sekou Nkrumah also recognised that not all Ghanaians were comfortable with his one-party rule, and that some people regard Kotoka as a hero in his own right.
“Changing the name takes us to the past,” he said, urging the government and the public to weigh whether such debates are necessary at a time when Ghana faces more pressing issues.
Watch the video below
@ghanaian_times One of the sons of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Sekou Nkrumah has urged government not to change the name of the Kotoka International Airport to Accra International Airport, describing the move as irrelevant. #africa #ubuntu #nppghana #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #ghananews ♬ original sound – Ghanaian Times
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