Rochas defies critics as he plans to unveil 10 more statues including those of Obasanjo and Atiku

IMO State governor Rochas Okorocha plans to unveil 10 more statues in the state over the coming year including ones of former president Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and ex-vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in defiance of criticism over the exercise.

Earlier this year, Governor Okorocha unveiled the statues presidents Jacob Zuma of South Africa and Ellen Sirleaf Johnson of Liberia, to widespread condemnation. Critics said the statues w3ere a misplaced priority, while some local groups said it was wrong for him to be erecting statues in honour of non-Imolites. Oblivious to such criticism though, Governor Okorocha plans to erect 10 more and apart from Chief Obasanjo and Alhaji Atiku, there will be ones of former senate president Evans Enwerem and the first civilian governor of Imo State Sam Mbakwe.

According to sources close to the governor, others whose statues would soon be unveiled are those of the first Nigerian president Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, former prime minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Ghanaian president Nana Akufo-Addo. Apparently, that of President Akufo-Addo will be the first to be erected and will be unveiled at a ceremony when he visits the state soon.

The government official said the idea of unveiling the statues was to celebrate leaders, who had through selfless efforts contributed to the development of the state, Nigeria and the African continent. When asked how much each statue cost the state government, the official said they were not as expensive as people were exaggerating.

“The governor is interested in celebrating those who have contributed to the development of mankind, especially on the African continent. In the years to come, these leaders will be no more but their statues will keep them evergreen in the minds of the people.

“With the statues, they have been inducted into the Imo Hall of Fame and have received the highest award in the state called the Imo Merits Award. It is not as costly as people had exaggerated and although I don’t know the exact amount, the government cannot use about N500m to erect one statue as he is a prudent manager of resources.”

Meanwhile, a former governor of the state, Ikedi Ohakim, has criticised Governor Okorocha for spending state resources on building statues. He said that his successor had impoverished the people and failed comprehensively in terms of leadership and development.

Governor Ohakim said: “Should I praise Okorocha because civil servants now receive half of their salaries instead of 100%? Should I praise his government for owing pensioners for over 30 months and recently issuing dud cheques to them?

“Court orders are hardly obeyed, judicial quarters are bulldozed with recklessness and as of today, judicial officers are being owed 11 months’ salaries, while monuments costing hundreds of millions of naira are being mounted for foreign dignitaries and whereas our children are killed in their countries.”

Similarly, a group called the Igbo National Council (INC) said it was a show of shame by the Okorocha administration to have erected President Zuma’s statue in the state. INC president, Chilos Godsent, said that South Africa, in recent times had recorded the wanton killing of many Igbo youths who are doing business or working in South Africa in the name of xenophobia.