The Governor of Imo state in Nigeria, Rochas Okorocha is set to commission a statue of President Akufo-Addo in Owerri. Okorocha, popularly called ‘Rochas”, is a reported billionaire and colorful character who has governed Imo state in the southeast of Nigeria, since 2011. He is well known for his education philanthropy. He has already erected similar statues of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Jacob Zuma in South Africa amid a backlash from Nigerian citizens. It is unclear why the Imo State government has erected a statue of the Ghanaian President but in the case of Zuma’s statue, the governor said it was in recognition of his contribution towards educating African children in South Africa. However, this did not prevent his citizens from raising questions as the Zuma statue was unveiled. The public focused on the large statue of the South African president rather than the philanthropy attached to the trip. Many raised questions about the alleged cost of 520 million naira (over $1.4 million)—given Imo state’s more pressing socio- economic needs. Source: www.olubamznews.com/2017/11/imo-state-governor-to-unveiled.html?m=1

The statue governor