A fellow at the Centre for Democratic Development-Ghana (CDD-Ghana), Prof. Stephen Asare, commonly called Kwaku Azar, has weighed in on the renaming of institutions in Ghana, highlighting the potential inconsistencies in the approach.
His comment comes after social activist group, Democracy Hub, in collaboration with the Convention People’s Party (CPP), filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court seeking the removal of the name Kotoka from Ghana’s International Airport.
According to the group, keeping the name of Lieutenant-General Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka on a national monument contradicts Ghana’s democratic principles, as he played a key role in the country’s first coup d’état in 1966.
“For 59 years, Ghana has lived with the contradiction of denouncing coups while honouring one of the architects of the first military overthrow of an elected government,” the group noted in a statement.
However, in a Facebook post on Monday, February 24, the legal scholar questioned the logic behind renaming places named after coup leaders, while institutions named after those who led the country into a one-party state remain unchanged.
His argument centers around the constitutional provisions that reject both one-party states and coups.
He noted that Article 3(1) of the Constitution rejects a one-party state, which Kwame Nkrumah led Ghana into in 1964. Yet, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) still bears his name.
Kwaku Azar noted that if the country starts renaming institutions based on the actions of their namesakes, it could lead to a slippery slope.
“When we say: Article 3(3) is an anti-coup clause. Kotoka led a coup in 1966. So why does KIA bear his name? We only invite others to respond with: Article 3(1) rejects a one-party state. Nkrumah led Ghana into one in 1964. So why does KNUST still bear his name?” he questioned.
He emphasized the need for caution, stating, “We must be careful… Then what next beyond our personal feelings about history which we have picked up from various sources?”
“For they sow the wind, and they reap the whirlwind,” he indicated.
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