Veteran Ghanaian journalist, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., has questioned the rationale behind the naming of the Kotoka International Airport in honor of a national traitor.
According to him, the nation cannot justify its decision to the country’s airport after Lieutenant General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, a coup plotter who caused Ghana’s retrogression.
“Those forces engaged in the coup were anti national forces collaborating with his own government to subvert the independence of Ghana. How do you name an airport after Kotoka?
“How do you justify naming an airport after a national traitor, clearly a national traitor. What did he do, he participated in the ploy by western intelligence agencies headed by the CIA to overthrow a popular democratically elected government of the Republic of Ghana which was spearheading the African revolution. He participated in a plot which has led to where we are today.”
Kwesi Pratt Jnr. indicated that the 1966 coup led by Lieutenant General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka led to the abandonment of the plan to generate electric power using nuclear energy. “So today when we’re talking about dumsor, the 1966 coup is one of the reasons why we continue to suffer dumsor.”
He added that Ghana losses 30percent of its crops to post agriculture losses. The journalist revealed this could have been resolved if the 1966 coup had not taken place.
“Today if you look at agriculture, most of our crops suffer 30 percent post harvest losses. This could’ve easily been cured using radiation and equipment which was brought in to enable our scientists minimize post harvest losses was packaged and sold to the United States of America by these reckless persons who staged the 1966 coup, and you want us to honor them? How do you expect us to honor them.”
The Democracy Hub and the Convention People’s Party (CPP) on February 24, 2025, reigniting debates about Ghana’s historical memory and national identity.
The plaintiffs argue that naming Ghana’s international airport after Lieutenant-General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, a key figure in the 1966 coup that overthrew President Kwame Nkrumah, contradicts the democratic principles enshrined in the 1992 Constitution.
They argue that naming the airport after Lieutenant General Emmanuel Kotoka, a military officer who played a key role in overthrowing Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah is a dishonor to the country’s founder.
This has generated a lot of debate in the country, with Ghanaians having opposing view as some support the move while others oppose it.
Watch video:
How do you name an airport after a national traitor?! – Angry Kwesi Pratt fumes over the naming of Kotoka Int’l Airport#GoodMorningGhana #MetroTV pic.twitter.com/y7QX1uQACl
— Metro TV Ghana (@metrotvgh) February 26, 2025
