Zuma’s Statue: I Owe No One Any Apology, Okorocha Insists

By Sunday Okobi

Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has declared that he doesn't owe no one an apology for erecting a statue of South Africa’s President, Jacob Zuma, in Owerri, the State capital.

Okororocha, recently weekend, unveiled a 250-metre statue of Zuma, who visited Owerri and was bestowed with a chieftancy title, which received a lot of backlash by Nigerians.

However, in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to Okorocha, Sam Onwuemeodo, the governor declared that he wouldn’t be deterred by enemies of the people who are trying to discourage them from making the state open to foreign investors.

“And in case these ‘Galatians’ do not know all we need to do to attract good things or investments to Imo is erecting statues, then, we have no option than to erect as many of such structures as possible,” the statement read.

“We owe no one apology. Rochas made a promise to open the doors of Imo to the rest of the world, for good and he is doing that and we cannot be deterred by these enemies of our people.

“If it was in the days of PDP, schools and markets would have been shut down. And roads closed because President Zuma was coming. But none of such things was done because Rochas and his government have a human face.

“The PDP for the 12 years they held sway never attracted any meaningful visitor to the State except PDP NEC members who were coming to loot the state.”