Imo State government, Thursday, unveiled a statue in honour of Liberian president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.
Sirleaf was yesterday conferred with a chieftaincy title by the Chairman of the State Council of Traditional Rulers, Samuel Ohiri.
A statement by the chief press secretary to the Governor, Sam Onwuemeodo, on Tuesday said Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf’s visit was ‘principally’ to meet students of the Rochas Foundation, especially Liberian students whose parents died of Ebola.
Speaking after the honour, Johnson-Sirleaf said she was excited to be in Imo, adding that with education, hardwork and unity of purpose, Africa would soon get to the promised land.
“I have travelled to every part of the world and I have travelled all over Africa, I have never experienced something like this. I have seen leaders of Africa build schools, roads, give scholarships, and so on, in all of these things.
“I have not seen any of them go beyond the ordinary by gathering indigent children of Africa from all of our countries, bring them together in our family, sharing together, I thank you. There is no other better way to fight poverty and preach unity than this”, she said.
In his speech, Governor Rochas Okorocha said the Foundation was not set up to show affluence, rather a platform to foster the kind of unity Africa yearns for.
“What I do today is not a dramatisation of affluence as I am not amongst the richest in Africa, Rochas foundation is a dramatisation of sacrifice.
“This may as well be the Africa we are looking for, I do know that this institution will grow beyond me and my generation. This may be the beginning of the unity we all crave for in Africa. These children now see themselves as one family”, he said.
It also turns out that Okorocha didn’t just confer her with a chieftain title and a statue, but he also commissioned and named a road after her.
