Member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) communications team, Hamza Suhuyini, has revealed that the party plans to review the renaming of Tamale International Airport, currently known as Yakubu Tali International Airport.
In an interview on Wednesday, February 4, Suhuyini said the NDC had originally proposed naming the airport Gbewaa International Airport to honour the shared ancestral heritage of people from the Northern, North East, and Upper East Regions.
However, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) opted to rename the airport after Yakubu Tali, a founding member of the NPP and a sub-chief of the Ya Naa, instead of adopting the NDC’s suggestion.
“The NPP named the Tamale airport after one of its foundational members, Yakubu Tali. We argued then that if the renaming was truly meant to honour the people of the North, it would have been better to call it Gbewaa International Airport, because people from the Northern, North East, and Upper East Regions all identify with Gbewaa as a common ancestor,” Suhuyini explained.
He added that the NDC administration is now reconsidering the decision:
“They ignored our proposal and went ahead to name it Yakubu Tali International Airport. That name is also under review, so you can be rest assured,” he said.
Suhuyini’s remarks follow recent announcements by Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga regarding government plans to rename Kotoka International Airport to Accra International Airport.
