The 2023 Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) and human rights advocate, Omoyele Sowore, has knocked presidents who name monuments after themselves while in power, describing it as a form of insecurity and an avenue to boost their ego.

In an interview with Arise TV, he described the act as an insult to suffering Nigerians, adding that the government prioritizes legacy building over good governance.

“I want to address very quickly the issue of naming places after the President. I think that in itself is a sign of insecurity, that the people handling the regime, or the regime itself, is so unsure of itself, it had to be naming monuments after itself when there is nothing happening in the country.

“There is no reason why anybody who has done well for the country wouldn’t wait for monuments to be named after them after they have left,” he said.

Speaking further, Sowore said there is a level of imbecility involved, adding that monuments are often named after people who have contributed the least amount of progress to the country.

He also said if he becomes president, he would rename the monuments named after former presidents after trees because they contribute to the ecological balance.

“If I were to become president of this country, most of the places named after these former Nigerian leaders would be named after trees, and probably rivers in Nigeria. We have plenty of them. Because those ones deserve those places to be named after them.

“At least they are consistent, and they contribute to our ecological balance. There are people who contribute nothing. Sometimes I get depressed when I’m driving on roads in Abuja, and I see Buhari Road, or Babangida Road, or Abacha Barrack. I just wonder what’s wrong with us. But here you have it. That’s the map of imbecility,” Sowore added.

In June, Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu named the International Conference Centre (ICC) after himself. Since 2022, the President has named about six projects after himself