By Oguwike Nwachuku
On January 15, 2026, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State would have spent a cumulative of six years in office, having been sworn into that exaulted office on January 15, 2020.
His first tenure came to a glorious end in the midnight of January 14, 2024, paving the way for the commencement of his second tenure on January 15, 2024 when he took another oath of office to serve as our Governor.
To the glory of God, he has already done two years into his second tenure, with no indication he is ready to slow down the pace of his activities as a Governor already on his second tenure the way most Governors in their second “missionary journey” behave.
Going by Governor Uzodimma’s giant strides so far in six years which everyone in and outside the State has acknowledged and applauded, many politically exposed characters would have loved him to sit back and be involved in what I call political reconnaissance, since he is not seeking reelection.
But how wrong would they be as we will discover shortly?
First, Uzodimma has shown beyond any fig of doubt that he is not the usual Nigerian politician, nor does he belong to the genre of such Nigerian politicians, who delight in shortchanging the people, the electorate, who actually gave the Governors the mandate to lead them.
Secondly, Uzodimma has mastered the application of the responsibility of the occupant of the office of the Governor so well, such that it will be an aberration for anyone to think that whoever occupies the office must be persons who show little seriousness when it comes to service to the people.
Thirdly, the passion with which Uzodimma approaches his duty as Governor will speak volumes if he decides to lower his governance guard, even if for a second, because the people are already familiar with his intentional and yet compassionate approach to governance vis a vis issues that affect them directly.
Politics apart, those who were familiar with the State of Imo in January 15, 2020 when Governor Uzodimma took over the mantle of leadership, and the controversy that ensued then and now, if they have conscience, will, without blinking an eyelid, return a verdict of an Imo State that has risen from the ashes inexplicable decadence years back to that of a beautiful and yet, competitive entity, East of the Niger.
If the assessors are indigenes of Imo, they will be proud to say they are from the Heartland State, and if they are Nigerians, glad will they be to identify with an Imo State whose Governor took from almost ground zero in 2020 in virtually all sectoral classification and brought to national and even international limelight within a period of just six years.
Indeed, in six years under review, Uzodimma has caused a quiet revolution to take place in Imo State. The revolution is such that it is doubtful if those he assembled since 2020 to be part of the implementation of his programmes had the faintest of idea about what was up the sleeves of this enigmatic leader of human and material resources.
From road to other physical infrastructure, healthcare delivery system, education, sports, women affairs/social welfare, digital/technology economy, power, commerce/industries, security, housing, mining, transportation, agriculture, environment, information, rural department, judiciary, name it, Uzodimma’s governance impact is felt.
Infact, there is deluge of tangibles and intangibles that define the characteristics of Imo State of this moment, courtesy of the administration of our hard working, humble, caring, God-fearing, empathetic, generous, amiable and loyal Governor Uzodimma.
How about his politics which is without bitterness? Uzodimma is always comfortable building bridges between the political elite and the low level cadre of his Party – the All Progressives Congress – and in such a manner that anywhere he goes, his name reverberates in the ears of all who come in contact with him like the sound of a volcano on eruption.
His social standing not withstanding, he delights in seeing himself as the middleman between the old generation politicians and the younger ones, often galvanising activities that bring everyone together to look at issues from the point of common interest. What Governor Uzodimma does with the political class he also carries out with the business and economy class, all for the good of Imo State, her people, and the society at large.
Uzodimma lives his name in politics as in business, constantly investing in what is necessary for public good and making the necessary sacrifices, often humongous, most of which his associates can never dream of.
Is it therefore a surprise that he is regarded as the Governor General by his Party leadership down East and by extension, the South South and beyond?
But are we surprised that Governor Uzodimma is setting the pace in leadership in Imo State, in the South East, and in Nigeria?
Tell me one Governor in the country today who was fully prepared for leadership and governance, I will show you Hope Uzodimma. Obviously, something must stand on something.
From January 15, 2020 till date, Uzodimma has been implementing programmes and policies that are not a product of impulse, fluke or a recourse to accidental hallucination of ill-prepared and poorly thought out ideas that will not stand the test of time when subjected to critical scientific analysis.
Not one single programme he implemented from 2020 till date was a product of accidental ideological discharge the way Imo people were being served in the years before his coming by some regimes.
Not surprisingly, the roads are properly built to enhance the people’s economic situation and sustain their lifestyle. Hospitals are conceived to deal with primary, secondary and tertiary health needs of the people with all the value chain needed. Education programmes target, not just the old order in terms of reading and writing, but the long term benefits of a sector that educates the people mentally, physically, spiritually, psychologically, socially, taking into account the necessary skills. Not surprisingly also, his revolution in the digital ecosystem in Imo State with the establishment of the Ministry of Digital Economy and E-Government, the first in Nigeria, has sparked off a new thinking about digital economy and existence in a contemporary world.
Forget the roads. There are too many of them anyway. Not less than 130 solidly built roads connecting Imo to her neighbours: Owerri-Orlu, Owerri-Okigwe, Owerri-Mbaise-Umuahia, Owerri-Onitsha, Owerri-Elele- Port Harcourt, Mgbidi-Omuma-Akata, Mgbidi-Oguta, Airport -Aba road bypass, MCC-Toronto-Naze, Orlu- Mgbe-Akokwa-Uga, Orlu-St Joseph – Eziachi, and many more, are sitting pretty in our dear State and making movement across the nooks and crannies of Imo and beyond a delight.
Talk of the global infrastructure wonder that is the Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Convention Centre, the Imo Concorde Hotel (Hilton) with the complete renewal of the Boulevard overlooking the Hotel and it’s environs, the newly built Government House Annex Orlu, the rebuilt Presidential Lodge Owerri, the new Imo State Executive Council Chamber, the Imo State House of Assembly Complex, the new Banquet Hall, the First Lady’s Complex, the junction renewal across the Owerri metropolitan with traffic lights, the twin Assumpta Cathedral Flyover, the Bus terminals, to name but a few.
In fact, those who choose to measure Uzodimma’s achievements in Imo based on the tangible things they can behold today – road infrastructure and other development facilities, Skill Up programmes of the Digital Economy, constant payment of salaries, pensions and gratuities to civil servants and retirees (including the historic payment of 13th month), welfare of workers across the board, etc, may still have to hold their breath.
Reason? The benefits of the Light Up Imo Project of the Orashi Electricity Company, the gains of the Imo State Free Trade Zone, the dredging of the Orashi River to the Atlantic Ocean, the Africa Quality Assurance Trade Centre in Ngor Okpala, the gains accruing from the Governor’s investment in the health sector, among other things that will define Imo State of our future after Uzodimma’s tenure.
Just six years down the road, Uzodimma’s economic transformation speaks volumes. The infrastructure boom associated with his administration is top-notch. His worker- friendly policies are second to none. His approach to security and governance in an environment tainted with politically motivated killings and sponsored violence says a lot about his leadership discipline packed full with responsibility, transparency and accountability.
Until Uzodimma became Governor, not many people from the State could have believed that government can generate revenue from international community by merely being accountable and transparent in budgetary issues. Thus, under him, millions of dollars keep roll into the State’s coffers courtesy of the State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS), an organ of the World Bank that helps to regulate implementation of State budgets globally.
Year in and out since January 15, 2020 that Uzodimma resumed as Governor, attention is given to the capital provisions in the State’s annual appropriation bill and law, an intentional effort that sees government commiting more to the capital needs of the people as against the old order of paying more attention to the recurrent needs.
This year alone, out of a total of almost N1.44 trillion budget, 83.4% of the total sum is set aside to carter to the core needs of the people in keeping with the 2026 Budget of economic breakthrough as presented by Uzodimma. The implications, therefore, is that key ongoing infrastructure projects in the area of power ( Light Up Imo), health, education, agriculture, among others, will not suffer retardation.
When Uzodimma boasts that no project initiated by his administration will be left uncompleted, he marches such words with his numerous Executive Bills ( more than 45 of such ) that get passed into law by the State Assembly in a cordial relationship that shows institutional collaboration for common good. That is leadership. That is accountability. That is responsibility. That is governance by example. That is the legacy he has left behind these past six years. That is the legacy he will sustain two years from now when his eight years in office will be due.
Six years after, Imo is on the rise. The State is being noticed nationally and globally for the right reasons. Peace has fully returned to the State. Economy is showing greater resilience now than ever before. Nightlife is fully back, not just in Owerri, but also in Orlu and Okigwe, an indication that insecurity has been substantially degraded. More are more Imo indigenes are applauding the efforts of Governor Uzodimma to reset our dear State in such a manner that posterity will be kind to him.
The recent Christmas and New Year activities in Imo State spoke volumes about the willingness of Imo people, home and in the Diaspora to live together as brothers and sisters given the huge human traffic of our people across the three senatorial zones in celebration mood.
That there were no reports of ugly security situation before, during and after the festivities shows that the last vestiges of contrived insecurity to keep the loving people of Imo State out of their environment has been dealt the deadly blow it requires. Because government is useless without the protection of lives and property of the people, Governor Uzodimma commits what is necessary to ensure that Ndi Imo are secure anytime, anyday.
And to take the people’s protection and State security a notch further, the Governor January 9, 2026 inaugurated the Imo State Vigilance Services Organisation where 7,000 able bodied young men and women committed themselves to join Uzodimma’s administration to enhance security in their immediate environment. That’s inclusive ihgovernance in action.
Governor Uzodimma is conscious of all that fact and will stop at nothing to complete the resetting of our State which he began eight years ago, and in such a manner that posterity will bear him witness that a man who, hitherto was not given the opportunity to govern his people, was eventually drafted to do so by God to fulfill destiny – to serve God sincerely and truthfully through serving the people.
Our prayer is for God to grant Governor Uzodimma the energy he needs to finish the work God has entrusted in his care.
Nwachuku is Uzodimma’s Chief Press Secretary/Special Adviser Media
