Businessman, Obinna Onuoha has built Africa’s largest statue of Jesus, which he described as a symbol of peace in a country hard hit by Islamist insurgency.
Onuoha commissioned a Chinese company to carve the the 8.53 metre (28 foot) tall “Jesus de Greatest” statue in 2013.
Standing barefoot with arms outstretched, the 40 ton statue will tower over St. Aloysius Catholic Church in the mainly Christian village of Abajah in Nigeria’s southeastern state of Imo.
“It’s going to be the biggest statue of Jesus on the continent,” said Onuoha, the 43-year-old chief executive officer of an oil and gas distribution company.
“Definitely pilgrims will come.”
Around 1,000 people are expected to attend the statue’s unveiling on New Year’s Day.