Effia-Nkwanta: The statue built for Akufo-Addo is not necessary; has no relevance – Dr. Frederick Oduro

Governance expert Dr. Frederick Oduro has criticised the newly unveiled statue of President Akufo-Addo at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital in Sekondi, describing it as unnecessary and poorly timed.

The statue was revealed during Akufo-Addo’s “thank you” tour of the Western Region, aimed at honouring his contributions, including the rehabilitation of the hospital and other infrastructural projects like the Sinohydro interchange and Takoradi Market Circle redevelopment.

Speaking to Starr FM, Dr. Frederick Oduro argued that the statue holds no relevance.

“I don’t see the relevance of this at this time. Ordinarily, monuments are raised for presidents usually after they’ve left office,” he stated in the interview.

While he acknowledged the work done under Akufo-Addo’s leadership, Dr. Oduro emphasised that the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital is a historical colonial establishment, making the choice of location for the statue questionable.

Reflecting on the hospital's origins, he noted, “It is a colonial relic... established in the late 1930s as a military hospital. Why do we put the statue of the president there? I think this was not very necessary.”

Dr. Oduro further suggested that if a statue is intended to honour Akufo-Addo’s legacy, it should be associated with projects directly initiated and completed by his administration.

“Let us pick an infrastructure directly linked to his government... and do it in a way that removes the political colouration,” he added.