On the 15th of January 2025, His Excellency Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma will be five years old as Governor of Imo State. As should be expected, his achievements and performance are already being rolled out for the world to see. And to say the least, Governor Uzodimma has shown capacity despite trailer load of distractions thrown on the wheel of his leadership by those who do not mean well for the state.
Yes, the Governor has given a good account of himself, both in the tangible and in the intangible, vis-a-vis;
- On Quality infrastructure.
- Quality Healthcare.
- Administration.
- Taming Insecurity.
- Prompt Payment of Salary of Workers.
- Introduction of a centralized computerized Staff emolument system, which put to an end the issue of ghost workers in the State Civil Service.
- Revamping the Educational Sector and Taking It to Appreciable Level.
- Working to Ensure the State Enjoys 24 Hour Uninterrupted Power Supply Through Urashi Electricity Project.
- Operating A Local Government System.
- Connecting the State to the National Political Epicenter.
- And Indeed, Holding the State Together Despite Distractions.
- And So on And So Forth.
These are very rare achievements, and Governor Uzodimma must be applauded. I am not here to start explaining in detail the above listed achievements of the Governor in the last five years. They are all verifiable achievements. Rather, I am here to explain that, while commending the Governor for showing capacity in governance and leadership of the state, there is need to sustain this developmental trend by thinking ahead, so as to ensure the people of Imo State reap the benefits of continuity in governance.
Let me open the minds of the reading public:
Leadership Module continuity is a vital part of governance. The 3-R Shared Prosperity leadership of Governor Hope Uzodimma has laid solid foundation in the state in the last five years, in many areas, as listed above, and will use the remaining three years, which ends in 2027/28, to consolidate on these achievements. And after that, what next? This is where Leadership Module continuity comes in, so as to ensure the people of Imo State reap the benefits of continuity in governance.
Because continuity is a vital part of governance, as it is near impossible for any leadership to do EVERYTHING that needs to be done for the people, there is need to ensure the current vision is sustained beyond 2027/28. I am not preempting anything. I am just making an observation, and rightly too.
Political alignments and realignments towards 2027/28 are already ongoing in the state, mostly from those who do not mean well for the state, and from those with bloated ambition. And if they are allowed to succeed, the state will have to start all over again, and the appreciable progress made in the last five years, and to be concluded in three years’ time, would amount to nothing.
Their Excellencies, Achike Udenwa and Rochas Okorocha, governed Imo State for eight solid years each. His Excellency Dr Ikedi Godson Ohakim governed for four years, while His Excellency Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha trekked for only seven and half months. Both Achike Udenwa and Rochas Okorocha failed in their bid to install successors and a lot of factors were responsible, and I am not here to state them. Nevertheless, since Governor Uzodimma has shown capacity, there is the need to support and encourage him to succeed, where Udenwa and Okorocha failed.
The question will be : How do we do it? While political alignments and realignments by those plotting to scuttle the efforts of Governor Hope Uzodimma are currently ongoing, even when the race has not commenced, there is need for all stakeholders, including traditional rulers, and the governed to continue to rally round the Governor to ensure he succeeds.
Politics is local. Since it is not too early for people to align and realign against the system as 2027/28 draws closer, it should not be viewed as too early for me to sound this wake up call, to awaken the consciousness of the need in ensuring the Governor succeeds in 2027/28.
As His Excellency is grooming his successor/successors, there is need for us to ENSURE that only those who will continue with the VISION of the 3-R Shared Prosperity leadership are properly positioned, not all these political buccaneers whose only agenda is to frustrate the efforts of Governor Hope Uzodimma.
Imo State is old enough to sustain a vision. We are too old to always start afresh. Since we have gotten it right with Governor Hope Uzodimma, there is every need to sustain this vision. Good visions should have continuity. Good visions should be allowed to germinate, watered, grow out and bear fruits, for the benefits of the people. Therefore, all these clandestine political alignments and realignments, though good for our democracy, should be seen as the more reason to consolidate the support and encourage the system to succeed. When someone or group of persons are aligning and realigning against your progress, development and advancement, you don’t sit idly and watch him or them grow into uncontrollable monsters. Achike Udenwa and Rochas Okorocha did, and paid dearly for it.
Therefore, while celebrating the commendable achievements of His Excellency Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma in the last five years, let us remember that the City Gates are open, and enemies are daily plotting to invade and take over. The City Gates must be guarded. The City Gates must be protected.
One former Governor was busy celebrating, dancing, clicking glass of wine with sycophants and cutting 27 cakes prepared for him. He was carried away such that he didn’t know when his camp was invaded and “imerienwed”, even led by those supposedly close to him.
Let me say it again: The City Gates must be guarded. The City Gates must be protected. To properly understand and appreciate the point I am making, let us look at 1 Samuel Chapter 30 from verse 1 to 8:
1 Samuel 30:1-8
King James Version
30 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;
2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
5 And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.
8 And David enquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
From the above, we can see that the camp of David was successfully invaded because his soldiers did not guard and protect the City Gates. Although David later sought the face of the Lord, before Pursuing, Overtaking and Recovering All that were taken, it was not so for the former Governor who was busy celebrating, dancing, clicking glass of wine with sycophants and cutting 27 cakes prepared for him, and didn’t know when his then camp was invaded and “imerienwed”, led mostly by those he once trusted. He lost everything, including relevance today.
The point I am seriously making is that some members of the Ruling Party, from Ward Level upwards, are today aligning and realigning with structures and forces aimed at frustrating the efforts of the Governor as 2027/28 comes closer. So, while we are celebrating the commendable achievements of Governor Hope Uzodimma in the last five years, we must ensure that the City Gates are firmly guarded and protected, to avoid questions and stories like, “Nwannem, Ihuru Gulak?”.
As patriots, we should rather pursue, overtake and overrun these buccaneers, and ensure they do not even come close to the City Gates. Governor Hope Uzodimma must succeed in 2027/28, to the Glory of Almighty God, in Jesus Mighty Name I Have Prayed, Amen.
Meanwhile, Congratulations and Happy Five Years Anniversary, Your Excellency Distinguished Senator Dr Hope Uzodimma.
I Rest My Pen 🖊️🖊️🖊️🖊️🖋️🖋️🖋️🖋️.
*Citizen Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha*
12/01/2025
