Village’s ‘Jesus de Greatest’ statue tallest in Africa

The biggest statue of Jesus in Africa stands at the village of Abajah in Imo State, southeastern Nigeria, writes Ellen Teague.

Unveiled on 1 January by Bishop Augustine Tochukwu Ukwuoma of Orlu at St Aloysius Catholic Parish, in the presence of more than 100 priests and hundreds of laity, the white marble statue is nearly 9 metres tall. Standing barefoot with arms outstretched, the “Jesus de Greatest” statue was commissioned by Obinna Onuoha, 43, a local businessman who hired a Chinese firm to carve it and place it in the grounds of a 2,000-capacity church he built in 2012. The unveiling coincided with his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary.