The unveiling of a statue in honour of the late literary icon, Prof. Chinua Achebe, in his hometown of Ogidi, Anambra State, has sparked controversy, with a former Commissioner for Information, Dr. Paul Nwosu, criticising the artistic quality of the monument, while the incumbent Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, Dr. Law Mefor, defended the significance of the project.
Governor Chukwuma Soludo had, over the weekend, unveiled the statue as part of efforts by the Ogidi community to immortalise the globally acclaimed author of Things Fall Apart.
Speaking at the ceremony, Soludo reflected on Achebe’s enduring legacy and urged young people to embrace hard work, integrity and purposeful living instead of seeking shortcuts to success through criminality or superstition.
However, in an opinion article reacting to photographs of the monument, Nwosu said the sculpture failed to do justice to the legacy of one of Africa’s greatest literary figures.
According to him, the statue falls short of the artistic excellence expected of a monument dedicated to a global icon whose works transformed African literature and continue to enjoy international acclaim.
He argued that the sculpture lacked a convincing resemblance to Achebe, describing its facial features as stiff, its anatomy as disproportionate, and faulting its finishing, posture and overall craftsmanship.
Nwosu said the monument appeared more like a mannequin than a lifelike representation of the celebrated novelist.
“Public monuments are enduring symbols of history and collective memory and should therefore embody excellence. This is becoming a worrisome pattern of substandard public sculptures in Anambra. The monuments dedicated to Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu are all pointers to this worry,” he said.
The former commissioner urged the state government and relevant authorities to engage competent professional sculptors for monuments honouring distinguished Nigerians, insisting that Achebe deserved a work that matched his global reputation.
Responding to the criticism, the Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, Dr. Law Mefor, said attention should be focused less on the artistic merits of the monument and more on the message conveyed during its unveiling.
According to Mefor, Soludo used the occasion to draw moral lessons from Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, particularly the character of Unoka, whom he described as a metaphor for the dangers of blaming mystical forces for failure instead of embracing hard work and personal responsibility.
He said the governor linked the lessons from Achebe’s writings to contemporary challenges confronting many young people, including the growing influence of criminal native doctors, fraudulent spiritualists and the pursuit of instant wealth through practices such as Okeite and other criminal activities.
Reiterating Soludo’s oft-quoted maxim, “Aka aja aja na-ebute onu mmanu mmanu” (hard work brings success and prosperity), Mefor said the administration remained committed to promoting diligence, discipline and integrity among the youth.
He added that the unveiling of Achebe’s statue aligns with the state’s Value Reformation Agenda, which seeks to reshape societal values through legislation, public enlightenment and the enforcement of laws against criminal practices.
According to him, the Ministry of Information and Value Reformation, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, is implementing a three-pronged strategy comprising a legal framework for value reformation, sustained public enlightenment and strict enforcement of laws against criminal activities.
Mefor further disclosed that the state had recorded convictions under the Anambra Homeland Security Law and related legislation targeting fraudulent native doctors and other criminal activities.
He said the government’s broader objective was to build a safer and more ethically grounded society.
While opinions remain divided over the artistic quality of the monument, both Nwosu and Mefor agreed that Achebe remains one of Anambra’s greatest sons whose legacy deserves to be preserved for future generations, even as they differed on whether the newly unveiled statue adequately reflects that legacy.
