STEVE Osuji, the special adviser, Media, to the Governor of Imo State, has said that contrary to reports emanating from Owerri, the Government of Imo State has no hand in the pulling down of the gargantuan Akachi statue near Aba Road, Owerri.

Osuji said in a statement that the state government “seizes this opportunity to warn Imo people to desist from unruly behavior and remain law abiding as anyone caught breaking the law would be prosecuted. The security agencies have been put on alert to maintain law and order across the state”.

The statement noted that at about noon on Thursday, a mammoth crowd had besieged the Akachi statue hacking at it and trying to pull it down, apparently acting in pent up anger.

According to reports, Imo people seem to have nursed a loathing for the statue right from the beginning, considering it a monument that portends ominous auguries for the people of the state.

“Another version suggests that the contractors, who have been working rather endlessly around the statue for some time but who may have not been paid, may be responsible for the breaching of the giant statue.

“It needs to be reiterated that the Imo State government under Governor Emeka Ihedioha has no hand in the attempt to pull down the Akachi statue. If government deems it necessary to pull down the statue or any structure for that matter, it would be done properly and in accordance with the law.

“Does it stand to reason that a government that is barely 24 hours old, with no handover notes whatsoever and without an office to work from yet would concern itself with an ordinary statue? Let it be known that the new government in Imo State has its eyes set on nobler goals, which include fast-tracking the rebuilding of Imo State.

“It is interesting to note that the Akachi statue is a massive monument of a hand pointing heavenwards and rising about 50 feet into the atmosphere. Not many in Imo quite understand the significance, if any or importance of the Akachi statue, one of the baleful legacies of out-gone governor, Rochas Okorocha,” the statement said.

– May 31, 2019 @ 12:09 GMT |