{"id":114108,"date":"2026-02-05T04:04:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T04:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=114108"},"modified":"2026-02-05T04:04:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T04:04:00","slug":"state-monuments-are-for-patriots-cpp-slams-talk-around-renaming-kotoka-airport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=114108","title":{"rendered":"State monuments are for patriots \u2013 CPP slams talk around renaming Kotoka Airport"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Convention People\u2019s Party (CPP) has insisted that state monuments, streets, and public institutions should be named only after individuals who are truly deemed patriotic, as Ghana prepares for a major debate over the renaming of Kotoka International Airport.<\/p>\n

Speaking on Joy News\u2019 PM Express on Wednesday, the CPP\u2019s National Communication Director, Osei Kofi Acquah, criticised the broader practice of awarding individuals national monuments, even when their actions undermine the country\u2019s democratic foundations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is very, very sad to hear people who are supposed to be patriots, people who are supposed to be Democrats speak this way,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s all be honest with ourselves. State monuments and rewarding people by naming streets and state institutions after them are supposed to be done for people who are deemed patriotic,\u201d Mr Acquah added.<\/p>\n

His comments follow Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga\u2019s announcement that the government plans to rename Kotoka International Airport to Accra International Airport.<\/p>\n

The announcement signals a major shift in the identity of one of Ghana\u2019s most recognisable national landmarks.<\/p>\n

Mr Ayariga made the disclosure while addressing journalists ahead of the first sitting of the Second Session of the 9th Parliament.<\/p>\n

For the CPP, the issue goes beyond a name change. It is about what Ghana chooses to honour.<\/p>\n

Mr Acquah argued that national recognition must be tied to patriotism and democratic legitimacy, not the use of force.<\/p>\n

He defended the democratic origins of Kwame Nkrumah\u2019s government and rejected narratives that seek to justify the overthrow of the First Republic.<\/p>\n

\u201cCorrectly said, the Kwame Nkrumah\u2019s government did not come to power through the power of a gang,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was Ghanaians who decided that we want to start a nation by being democratic, by having a government that is for the people, by the people,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

He stressed that Nkrumah\u2019s rise to power was anchored in legitimate elections and that the country\u2019s founding path was built on the will of the people, not military coercion.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so there was proper elections,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Mr Acquah also condemned those who overthrew Nkrumah, describing them as men who acted cowardly while pretending loyalty.<\/p>\n

He cited the historical account of how Nkrumah was treated before he was removed from office in a coup.<\/p>\n

\u201cA group of men who are so cowardly to the extent that when Kwame Nkrumah was leaving for Hanoi, the same people who did the coup d\u2019etat were the ones who saw him off at Accra \u2014 then Accra International Airport,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd when Osagyefo left, he took guns and arms and overthrew his government,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Convention People\u2019s Party (CPP) has insisted that state monuments, streets, and public institutions should be named only after individuals who are truly deemed patriotic.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,12361,1883,10,9,1887],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-114108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cpp","category-kotoka-international-airport-kia","category-national","category-politics","category-popular","category-top-story"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=114108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114108\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=114108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=114108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=114108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}