By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA – In what appeared a formal endorsement of the reported N520 million statue erected by the Imo state government in honour of South Africa’s President, Jacob Zuma, the ruling All Progressives Congress APC has hailed the state governor, Rochas Okorocha for bringing the South African leader to the country.

At a meeting of its National Working Committee NWC with its 24 state governors and principal officers of the National Assembly, APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun said Okorocha’s efforts at attracting foreign investment to the country is highly commendable.

“Let me use this opportunity to congratulate you (Rochas) on your birthday…young man, where I was very powerfully represented and for your feat in bringing some of the significant figures from the African continent”, said Odigie-Oyegun in a brief introductory remark before the meeting dissolved into a closed session.

Welcoming participants to the meeting, Chief Odigie-Oyegun thanked God for safely bringing back President Muhammadu Buhari from his medical sojourn in London.

“I welcome you to the sixth of the series of our consultative meetings which has proved to be extremely useful not only in stabilizing the party but also contributing immensely towards handling various challenges that have appeared before us as a nation and as a people.

“The meeting got so productive that we decided at last meeting to bring in our National Assembly leaders to joins us in the deliberations which I have said earlier have been found to be very productive and useful indeed. I thank you for coming to this first meeting since the return of our dear President for his medical leave. On your behalf, I want to formally welcome him and thank the Almighty God for the wonderful healing that has been performed because since he came back there has been no question at all”, he stated.

Though the Senate President was represented by the Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, his counterpart in the House of Representatives, Speaker Yakubu Dogara, was also absent but reportedly represented “by a member from Rivers state”.

Out of its 24 governors, only seven as well as four deputy governors were present. Those at the meeting included the Govs. Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna), Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Simon Lalong (Plateau), Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Godwin Obaseki (Edo) and Abdullahi Jibrilla Bindo (Adamawa) who was attending the meeting for the first time. Deputy Governors of Ondo, Kano, Kogi and Nasarawa states were also in attendance.

Okorocha’s decision has continued to attract a wave of backlash from both Nigerians and South Africans who have described the statue as meaningless.

Unable to pay pensioners, some Nigerians had queried the governor’s decision especially as it also came few days after another Nigerian, Jelili Omoyele, a 35-year-old, was killed in South Africa, adding to a long list of Nigerians to have been killed in the former apartheid enclave.

The governor has however accused the opposition People’s Democratic Party PDP of sponsoring the attacks saying the party never attracted any meaningful personality to the state when it held sway.

“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 thing 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.

“And in case these “Galatians” do not know, if 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. We owe no one apology”, the state government had said.

Cc myndd44
Cc lalasticlala
Cc Seun

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/10/%e2%80%8eapc-hails-okorocha-erecting-n520m-zuma-statue/

So instead of condemning this senseless waste of taxpayers' money, the APC thinks Rochas deserves being commended. I weep for this country.
What is the contribution of Zuma to the socio-political and economic development of South Africa, not to talk of Nigeria. Or even on Africa as a whole?
So of all the heroes of democracy we've had in Nigeria, it's the corrupt Zuma of South Africa that is worth idolizing. And to imagine a whooping N520m was expended on erecting his statue! Do our governors even know that the common man is going through hardship on the street? Does Okorocha even know that that amount could better the living conditions of some rural communities under him? Sometimes, I just think Nigeria is past due for a political revolution like they had in Ghana.

520 m, this man is mad

wetin pesin no go hear and read for dis pipul govment

A whole Zuma!
Why not immortalize Mandela? If you argue this is for the sake of investment. Please tell is where and how many statue of Nigerian leaders you can find in other countries where they have invested our billions $ they've looted
Corrupt folks flock together.

500million naira will go a long way if channeled into other things

What a shame!

Rochas spent #520m on Zumas statue. This money can pay all the civil servants in IMO state for 1month yet Rochas refused to pay them.
I wonder how much he will spent to construct his own statue before leaving office.
chaiiii Rochas ooo

Lol.. dem don come again! N520million for block and cement!

How do they value these things biko?

How can this structure cost N520 million?
The Imo state governor should be queried...

See cnn report.

obailala:
Lol.. dem don come again! N520million for block and cement!

How do they value these things biko?

CNN) South African President Jacob Zuma visited Nigeria's Imo state on Friday and had a giant bronze statue unveiled in his honor, a decision that has caused outrage in some parts of the country.


The two-day visit happened just as South Africa's Supreme Court ruled that President Zuma should face corruption charges.

Zuma visited Governor Rochas Okorocha in Owerri in a surprise visit that was only announced the same day by the South Africa presidency.


As well as the statue, Zuma was given a chiefaincy title and had a road named after him.

Local media reported that the cost of the statue was around 520million Naira -- equivalent to $1.4 million.

Okorocha also conferred on Zuma the Imo Merit Award, the highest award the state gives to distinguished individuals.


As he unveiled the statue, Okorocha said: "We have decided to honor you for your love for education, though you were deprived in your early days in life but you are working to make sure that every poor child went to school.

"Your love for education to us is the connection between you and government and the people of Imo State."

Okorocha and President Zuma also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will provide free education for poor children on the continent, according to local media reports.

Nigerians have weighed in on Twitter expressing their opinions on the statue of Zuma

https://www.google.com.ng/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2017/10/16/africa/nigeria-jacob-zuma-statue/index.html

If u want to immortalize criminals we will make do with ABACHA statue, why a monkey from the Africaine de sud. Abacha saved our money in swiss accounts and we are still enjoying it. Ọmọ wá o lé ṣé ìdí bẹbẹrẹ ká fi ilẹkẹ sìdí ọmọ ẹlòmíràn. ABACHA IS A BIGGER THEIF HE DESERVES A STATUE MORE THAN THAT IDIOT, STUPID APC, i am still looking for a sane person that will travel to IMO to watch such absurdity. INVESTMENT MY FOOT

APC IMO state is sick

computerwiz2:
See cnn report.





CNN) South African President Jacob Zuma visited Nigeria's Imo state on Friday and had a giant bronze statue unveiled in his honor, a decision that has caused outrage in some parts of the country.


The two-day visit happened just as South Africa's Supreme Court ruled that President Zuma should face corruption charges.

Zuma visited Governor Rochas Okorocha in Owerri in a surprise visit that was only announced the same day by the South Africa presidency.


As well as the statue, Zuma was given a chiefaincy title and had a road named after him.

Local media reported that the cost of the statue was around 520million Naira -- equivalent to $1.4 million.

Okorocha also conferred on Zuma the Imo Merit Award, the highest award the state gives to distinguished individuals.


As he unveiled the statue, Okorocha said: "We have decided to honor you for your love for education, though you were deprived in your early days in life but you are working to make sure that every poor child went to school.

"Your love for education to us is the connection between you and government and the people of Imo State."

Okorocha and President Zuma also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will provide free education for poor children on the continent, according to local media reports.

Nigerians have weighed in on Twitter expressing their opinions on the statue of Zuma

https://www.google.com.ng/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2017/10/16/africa/nigeria-jacob-zuma-statue/index.html

So because cnn quoted one faceless local media, it is now sacrosanct fact that a piece of block cost N520 million?... Because CNN said so?

Insanity from President to party.