Statue of ex-Ghana President Akufo-Addo destroyed

A statue of Ghana’s immediate former President, Nana Akufo-Addo, put up at the end of last year has been destroyed.

The unveiling by Akufo-Addo of his own likeness in November in the country’s Western Region sparked a social media backlash, as well as being mocked and described as “self-glorification”.

Its launch had been in honour of the president’s development initiatives.

On Monday, local media shared images showing the statue in a ruined state, with its severed head lying on the ground. It is not clear who had targeted the sculpture or what the motive was and the police have not commented.

The torso also appears to have been destroyed, and only a damaged pedestal remains in place.

The statue was made of a mixture of metal, wire mesh, clay, fibre glass and resin, the sculptor Justice Gaisie said.

Akufo-Addo stepped down as president last week after serving two terms in power. His party’s candidate to replace him was heavily defeated in December’s presidential election.

The statue had already been partially vandalised last month with one leg being damaged.

Some local residents had earlier been calling for the sculpture to be removed, but the local authorities had pledged at the time of the initial damage to have it repaired.

Its destruction has elicited mixed reactions, with some condemning it while others saying there could have been a better way to deal with it.

One resident told local Citi FM outlet that it was “of no benefit” to the people, “so if it’s destroyed, its normal”.

Another said this was unfortunate and there should have been a “proper, civil way to get it removed” adding that that the action would have negative consequences for supporters of the former president’s party.

Joy FM quoted another resident saying he was happy it had been destroyed.

Last year, critics questioned the use of public funds for its construction especially at a time the country was facing economic hardship.

Ghana has in recent years been experiencing its worst economic crisis in a generation and last year received a $3bn (£2.5bn) bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The cost-of-living crisis was a key campaign issue in last month’s election.

President John Mahama, who won the vote in a landslide, has in the past criticised the erection of the statue.

He said it was up to the people to honour the former president for his achievements, describing the statue as insensitive given the hardships being faced by the people. – BBC