The former governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha, has said the statues of prominent personalities he built put the state on the world map, IGBERETV reports.
During his time as governor, Okorocha built statues of prominent personalities such as Nigeria’s first President, Nnamdi Azikiwe; former Prime Minister, Tafawa Balewa; former military governor of the defunct Eastern Region of Nigeria, Ikemba Ojukwu; first democratic governor of Imo State, Sam Mbakwe; former President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf; former President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma and others at Heroes Square.
In a post shared on social media on February 8, 2022, Okorocha said he and his family have been under attack due to the false narratives and misconceptions that greeted the building of the square.
He stated;
“For years I have endured hordes of lies and slander against my personality, and attacks on my family members because of the false narratives and misconceptions about the statues built during my tenure as governor of Imo State.
For years I chose to stay silent, but I strongly believe that the New Nigeria must be built on truths and facts, not on misinformation and propaganda.
The statues are innovations that I’m proud of. The innovations put Imo State on the map.
We never had an identity because there was no tourism, there was absolutely nothing.
Then I came with the ingenuity of tourism and I developed a place called Heroes Square. The statues are just in a part of the entire square.
The statues brought President Zuma to Imo State, beating the entire protocol of Imo not having an International Airport.
Nana Akufo-addo flew from Ghana to Owerri without passing through Abuja, because of the statues.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf flew all the way from Liberia as a sitting president. In fact, she came from America.”
Hear him speak in the video below.
