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•Imo demolishes ex-gov’s ‘legacy project’ at Heroes’ Square
From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
“Akpuola gi?” meaning, “Have you been moulded,” became a catchphrase in Imo State during the tenure of former Governor Rochas Okorocha.
Okorocha’s administration was synonymous with erecting statues of Nigerian and other African personages. Some of those erected at a designated place christened Heroes’ Square in the New Owerri area of the state capital were former President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, ex-Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. The square also served as a cultural and ceremonial arcade.
Okorocha also immortalised former Nigerian leaders, Muhammadu Buhari, Olusegun Obasanjo, Nnamdi Azikiwe and Sam Mbakwe, among others.
However laudable the project seemed, the statues became objects of caricature as many saw them as a monumental waste.
For instance, the bronze statue of former South Africa leader, Zuma, was said to have gulped N520 million while the entire project allegedly cost about N1 billion.
Notwithstanding all these, the state government recently demolished the statues and other accoutrements there.
In 2021, Governor Hope Uzodimma renamed it Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu Square, in honour of the former military governor who contributed significantly to the development of the state.
Chief press secretary and special adviser to the governor on nedia, Oguwuike Nwachukwu, said the sculptures had to give way for the implementation of the masterplan of Owerri: “You don’t tell a man how to build his house; besides you know Owerri has a masterplan, which has not been adhered to.”
Some residents of Owerri told Daily Sun that the place had become a safe haven for criminals who took advantage of its lonely nature at night to dispossess people of their belongings.
Mixed feelings have trailed the demolition, however. Many respondents said the statues should have been allowed to stand because of the huge public funds sunk into the vainglorious project.
Ejike Obinna condemned the pulling down of the figures: “I see it as a waste of state resources, millions of naira was sunk into that project; now they have been demolished. Government should have just let them be.”
Peter Emenike said the place was a potential tourist site, so it should not have been destroyed.
But Goddy Iwunna totally disagreed with them: “If the reason given by the state government was true then I think the statues were not necessary at all. The Okorocha-led administration that erected it should have known that there is a masterplan, no matter how much was spent. It was a wasteful expenditure, which should have been averted.”
One of those opposed to the erection of the statues described them as ‘misplaced priority,’ pointing out that the then Zimbabwean leader, Mugabe, later faced political turmoil in his country, which led to his resignation from office “a couple of weeks after his gigantic monument was unveiled at Heroes’ Square.”
Leading advocacy group, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), insists that Okorocha should be investigated for the huge funds invested into erecting the statues.
SERAP alleged that the statues cost a fortune and represented a possible misuse of public resources and a conflict of interests, especially given the state’s financial struggles at the time.
But the ex-governor said that he was ready for a probe regarding the matter. Okorocha defended the statues, arguing that they were important for preserving history and giving Imo State a national and international identity.
