The statue of former President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, erected at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital roundabout in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis of the Western Region has been destroyed by unknown persons.
When the Ghanaian Times arrived at the scene, at about 7a.m yesterday, it found that the entire statue had been dismembered, with the head, legs and torso scattered there, with iron rods protruding from them.
Unveiled on November 6, last year, the statue of then President Akufo-Addo, suffered some attack at the back of the left leg, below the knee (the calf region) in December 2024 and was repaired.
The statue, made with bronze, including the suit adorning it, was erected by some chiefs to honour the President for the significant development in the region, during his “Thank you tour” in November.
The then Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, argued that the erection of the statue was to honour President Akufo-Addo for some key projects, including the three-tier Sino hydro PTC interchange and the redevelopment of the Takoradi Market Circle.
“Mr President, we thank you for the fishing facilities at Dixcove and Axim, and Port expansion in Takoradi. We are grateful for your good works with free SHS, expansion works at the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital and we will forever remember you, for the love you have for the Western Region,” the chiefs said at its inauguration.
Since then, the statue has attracted huge controversies and criticisms in Sekondi-Takoradi.
In spite of some critics questioning the timing and relevance of the statue amidst a number of failed government promises and stalled projects in the region, including the PTC interchange and the Takoradi Market Circle projects, others condemned its destruction.
John Dadzie, a driver, told the Ghanaian Times that the statue was a misplaced priority, and queried, “What has this [Akufo-Addo] government done for the Western Region?”
Reagan Tweneboah Kodua, a resident, blamed the Western Regional Minister for the erection of the Akufo-Addo statue at Effia
Nkwanta, adding “The President should have condemned it himself in the first place.”
He again added “Instead of completing the road, you are erecting statues.”
Sweetie Adjeley, another resident, recalled that the very day the statue was unveiled, some persons swore they would destroy it, saying “and this is what they’ve done.”
Reacting to the incident, another resident at Effia Nkwanta, Esi Anoa, described that act as unpatriotic and suggested that the city authorities investigate the matter and bring the suspects to face the law.
She said: “Artefacts serve as an honour and remembrance of great people who have served the nation well. Indeed, why would some ‘criminals’ hatch a plot to cause damage to the statue of a President?”
“Much as I don’t support the idea of putting the statue at the uncompleted roundabout, I will not condone this shameful act. We must be civil and use due process,” Agya Buah, a resident of Nkontompo, near Effia Nkwanta, said.
When the statue was first damaged in December last year, the Ghana Police Service said it had begun investigations into the matter.
“Preliminary investigations by the police have revealed that the statue’s left leg has been damaged. Efforts are being made to get the perpetrators arrested to face justice,” a statement added.
But the public is yet to be presented the full details of the investigations.
FROM CLEMENT ADZEI BOYE, EFFIA NKWANTA
