Uzodimma and the strong push for Tinubu beyond 2027

Gov. Hope Uzodimma strong push for President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda was evident during recent three-day Renewed Hope Ambassadors/Presidential Communications Team National Media inspection of landmark federal and state governments’ projects in Imo State.

By Ayorinde Oluokun

Governor Hope Uzodimma’s position as the chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum places him in a unique position of primus inter pares (first among his equals) among his governor colleagues in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. For one, the position puts on his shoulders the responsibility of mobilizing support for the programmes and initiatives of the ruling party as well laid out in the Renewed Hope Agenda of the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

As recently noted by Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser, Media and Public Communication to President Tinubu, one of the indications that Governor Uzodimma has lived up to these responsibilities was the increase in the numbers of governors who have bought into the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President by joining the APC to over 30.

Dare spoke at a state dinner held at Government House, Owerri to mark the end of a three-day Renewed Hope Ambassadors/Presidential Communications Team National Media inspection of landmark federal and state governments’ projects in Imo State. The National Media tour, with over 40 senior editors and journalists in the delegation is itself an initiative of Uzodimma led Renewed Hope Ambassadors in conjunction with the Presidential Communications Team.

Seeing Is Believing” Media Tour

The “seeing is believing” media tour was initiated with the aim of providing Nigerians with firsthand information about projects and other initiatives being delivered across the country under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, while highlighting the impact of such interventions on citizens’ lives as as the nation prepares for the 2027 general election.

The tour began in the Northwest where the Tinubu administration’s milestone achievements in form of completed and ongoing projects in roads, rail, education, health, agriculture, environment among others were showcased to dispel the claim of neglect of the region by the administration. The situation was not different in the Southeast states of Enugu, Abia and Ebonyi as journalists inspected federal and state projects. Contrary to some claims, leaders of the region, including lawmakers and governors told journalists that the Southeast has been a major beneficiary of ongoing massive investments in infrastructure development by President Tinubu.

Significantly, governors and state government officials had also told journalists during the tour that the strides they have recorded in terms of their ability to undertake massive projects, regular payment of salaries and long neglected pension was because of the more funds they are receiving from the federal purse, courtesy of the reforms, especially, the courageous decision of President Tinubu to stop the corruption laden subsidy on petrol on assumption of office.

The situation was not different in Imo as journalists discovered in the course of three days’ tour of state and federal projects which began on Wednesday, July 15. Led by Declan Emelumba, Imo State Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, media team began with the inspection of the ongoing projects at Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport. With determination to deliver the first cargo airport in the Southeast as a legacy project, Uzodimma has embarked on the expansion of the runway, construction of eight modern warehouses for storage and cargo and other facilities that will position the facility as a major logistics and export hub.

The media team also inspected the 36-kilometre Owerri–Obowo–Umuahia Road, the Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Owerri now upgraded to Federal University of Technology as well as the Federal Medical Centre Owerri upgraded to a Federal University of Technology Teaching Hospital Owerri. The two institutions were upgraded by federal government. Emelumba told journalists that the upgrade of Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Owerri to Federal University of Education by President Bola Tinubu was answer to prayers of the people of Imo for many years.

“This place used to be Alvan Ikoku College of Education Owerri. This is one of the oldest Federal Government Colleges of Education in Nigeria. I think they said there were about six in the country. Almost all of them had been converted to Federal University of Education. So, every government in Imo struggled to get it converted but couldn’t realize it until the coming of Governor Hope Uzodimma. And this was realized less than a year ago,” he said. The Commissioner said the upgrade of the upgrade had generated significant employment opportunities for Imo people and had also attracted projects by TETFUND for the institution.

The team also inspected the Imo Digital City, the ongoing construction of 2,000-bed Infectious Disease Centre, the Heart Transplant Centre at the Imo State University, Orlu, the University of Innovation, Science and Technology at Omuma, the ongoing expansion of the Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Convention Centre, Owerri as well as the ongoing construction of Orlu-Akokwa-Uga Border road among others in the course of three day visit to Imo.

Commitment To Renewed Hope Agenda

What became very clear during the tour was the commitment of Governor Uzodimma to the actualization of Renewed Hope Agenda for the benefit of the people of the state. Hence, he has no reservations in taking up major federal projects. One of such projects is the 36-kilometre Owerri–Obowo–Umuahia Road, a federal road which was taken over and constructed by the Imo governor after being in a state of disrepair for many years. “This is a road that links quite a number of communities, more than four or five local governments. It was horrible. There were so many potholes, and it defied all previous administrations. But as you can see, we passed through it. It’s very smooth, no pothole, with solar-powered streetlights. So, this is the product of the renewed hope government and the government of Imo State, which we are proud to present to you,” Emelumba told journalists at a section of the road.

Tunde Rahman, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Special Duties told journalists that Uzodimma agreed to take up federal projects in support of the Tinubu’s administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda. “Some of the interventions that you have seen, the Okigwe International Cargo Airport, and this road that we just passed, is being done by Imo State government under the Renew Hope Agenda to support the government. The governor said clearly we should let you know it’s not a question of, ‘I’m going to be reimbursed.” “It is being done in conjunction with the government in order to support the government under the Renew Hope agenda,” Rahman who is also Director, Media & Publicity, Renewed Hope Ambassadors said. But the road that extended from Okigwe to Owerri as double carriageway with drains and streetlights is not the only major project that the Imo State Governor has fixed or is fixing through the collaboration from the federal government.

Journalists on the tour was also at a section of the ongoing reconstruction of the 31 Kilometers’ Orlu–Mgbee–Akokwa–Uga Road, a major link between Anambra and Imo which has been rendered impassable for many years as a result of massive gully erosion. The media team saw newly completed gigantic concrete bridge and ongoing efforts to tackle the erosion challenge to restore the link between the two states. “There’s no way you could have been here about two years ago because the road was cut into two by the gully erosion for more than eight years at this particular place. It takes a lot of courage, vision and determination for anybody, any government to attempt to fix it like the governor of the state is doing,” said the Commissioner.

“The road is along Akokwa-Uga. Uga is in Anambra. So, it links the two states. This is a very commercial hub of the state. By constructing this road, commerce will flow, and goods and services will flow easily,” Emelumba said. “This place, I’m sure if the contractors will tell you, has gulped a lot of money, a lot of money. But the governor said he was determined, even though it’s a federal road, he is an APC governor and an APC compliant governor for that matter,” he added. Even then, it was also acknowledged that Uzodimma and his colleagues are being empowered to undertake such gigantic projects because of the increase in the money going from the federal purse into the coffers of sub national governments as a result of the bold reforms of the President.

Enabled By Tinubu’s Reforms

Uzodimma acknowledged this during the state dinner at Government House, Owerri. “Everything we are doing in Imo today is made possible because of the Renewed Hope Agenda. We are pursuing sustainable development, investing in infrastructure, healthcare, education and technology because the reforms have created the enabling environment for development,” the Governor said while likening the reforms being undertaken by the President to those that propelled Singapore to the apex in terms of development indices under the late Lee Kuan Yew.

He noted that the President came into office on May 29, 2023, with determination to tackle Nigeria’s age long challenges with the aim of bringing the nation into a new realm of development. “President Tinubu knew exactly what he came to do. He started implementing the reforms immediately because he understood the task before him,” he said. Thus, he said the President started campaigning for his second term when he assumed office as he started rolling out policies and reform policies that have now crystallized into benefits for people across the country.

The Governor recalled that when he was sworn in on 15 January 2020, his Accountant General came back from a FAAC meeting with funds that was barely enough to pay salaries, just like for many other states then. But he noted that the situation changed dramatically when President Tinubu assumed office on May 29th, 2023. After FAAC, I saw over N10 billion. I said, ‘what?’ So, when people were trying to oppose removal of subsidy, I have to put on my belt and my jeans. I came out and said, ‘subsidy must be removed’. Uzodimma said his administration has been able to deploy the increased resources from the centre to undertake visible programmes and projects that the people of the state are very, very happy for and have therefore decided to vote for the President in 2027.

He noted that with increased FAAC allocation and increase in Internally generated revenue of the state from less than N400m to close to N6 billion a month now, his administration has been able to reduce the debt profile of Imo State from about N280 billion in 2020 to less than N90 billion.

“So, day by day, we are reducing the debt profile so that the state can become very solvent. In 2020, movement from one end of Imo State to another takes an average of two to three hours. As I speak, it is only 45 minutes,” said the Governor.

He also revealed that his administration had taken advantage of the new electricity law of President Tinubu’s administration to tackle the challenge of power in the state. Thus, he said the administration has been able to end the regime of the people of the state paying for power they did not consume. As I speak, we generate, we transmit, and we distribute electricity. In Owerri, capital, including this government house, we are using ‘homemade’ electricity”, he said while assuring that the locally generated power will be extended to some of the state’s local government areas by the end of the year.

Tinubu In Strong Position For Overwhelming Victory

Uzodimma said the performance of his administration with the support of President Tinubu as well as ongoing federal interventions across the state have placed the ruling party in a strong position for overwhelming victory in the state and in the nation in the 2027 election. “You have come to Imo, not to campaign for our people. You have come to Imo to see what we have been able to achieve. Our people have already decided that they want President Bola Tinubu back as the president. Because without him and his policies and programmes, this environment we are enjoying today would have been very impossible to achieve,” Uzodimma said while assuring that many governors of APC in Nigeria are also working hard, deploying the additional revenue accruing to them from the centre for the benefit of their people.

While assuring that his projection that Tinubu will record a landslide victory in the 2027 election was not based on fantasies, Uzodimma said: The population of APC, verifiable with name, is in excess of 13 million. Look at the number of people benefiting from the school loan. Look at the number of people benefiting from various social interventions. Imo State is a one-party state. I can say that authoritatively. Ambassadors of Renewed Hope Agenda are present in every polling unit, minimum of 50 people. So, if members of our party vote for our presidential candidate, he has already won the election.”