ABAJAH The biggest statue of Jesus Christ in Africa was unveiled on Friday (New Year's day) during a ceremony at Abajah in Imo State, Nigeria, presided over Bishop Augustine Tochukwu Okwuoma and commissioned by a renowned businessman Obinna Onuoha.
Commenting on the unveiling, Bishop Okwuoma, said it would be a "very great symbol of faith" for Catholic worshippers and passers-by alike. "It will remind them of the importance of Jesus Christ," said Okwuoma. More than 100 priests and hundreds of Catholic worshippers attended the nine-metre (30-foot) statue's official unveiling in the village of Abajah in southeastern Nigeria.
Business Onuoha was the brain behind the project, he hired a Chinese company to carve the statue. "We think religions can exist side by side," Onuoha said. "We hope that people can live in harmony."
He said the idea of building a giant statue of Jesus came to him in a dream nearly 20 years ago.
The "Jesus de Greatest" statue weighs in at 40 tonnes and was carved by a Chinese company. The statue is situated in the grounds of a 2000-capacity church built in 2012.
The 43-year-old boss of an oil and gas distribution company timed the statue's unveiling to coincide with his parents' 50th wedding anniversary. Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with 170 million people, is split between a more prosperous
And when his 68-year-old mother fell seriously ill a few years ago, she made him promise that he would build a church if she survived.
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