It is with a heart full of gratitude to God Almighty that I welcome all of you to this Interdenominational thanksgiving church Service marking the start of the celebration of my one year in office as the validly elected governor of Imo State.
I thank, in a special way, those of you who inspite of your usually crowded schedules, travelled far distances to be with us at this special event. For Imo people, today's outing is unique and special. It is an emotional reminder of the long, rough, road we travelled, over a year ago, to get justice.
Many of our people still recall, with a great sense of trepidation, how the forces of darkness fought in vain to deny me of my victory at the polls. Many will rather not remember those dark days, when justice appeared illusive and the fate of Imo people hung on the balance.
Albeit, what is more important is that all the good people of Imo State profoundly appreciate the hand of God in the restoration of my mandate. This explains why we could not but have started this one year anniversary with a befitting acknowledgement of God, through this church service.
Given the unforgettable experiences that defined my emergence as the duly elected governor of Imo State, I vowed from day one that I will neither fail God nor Imo people. I entered into a voluntary covenant with my God that I will serve Imo people with utmost honesty and that I will do all within my behest, as governor, to make life far better for Imo people, than I met it. I also made a solemn vow to the Almighty that I was not coming as governor of Imo State to grab their land or to loot their patrimony or to become richer than the state government when I leave office but to serve and serve alone
One year after, it is time to look back and ask the pertinent question: So far, how far. The answer is what we shall showcase, for the next one week. However, suffice it to add that In this regard, I dare say that so far, so good.
As I look through the stadium today and see the sea of heads of those who have joined us from all parts of the state, for this solemn assembly, I glorify God for blessing me with such wonderful brothers and sisters who share in my vision of making Imo State a better place for all of us.
Let me put it on record that when I assumed office one year ago, I didn't have a hand over note and I didn't have a Kobo to commence work. But because I knew that the good people of Imo State did not elect me to make excuses, I faced the challenges headlong.
From governance to rebuilding Infrastructures; from education to health and from agriculture to youth’s empowerment, we have made a huge difference through our shared prosperity agenda as encapsulated in the 3Rs of Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Recovery. By tomorrow I shall broadcast to Imo people, detailing our sectoral achievements within one year in office.
But suffice it to say here that the greatest achievements we have recorded include restoring people's confidence in government, halting the rancid corruption that crippled the state before now and most importantly liberating the state from those who sought to make our people slaves in their own father’s land.
For those visiting us from outside Imo State, the good roads you are seeing in and around the state capital were not here a year ago. Those who live here can confirm this. What we had instead was an eyesore of dilapidated, impassable roads. But in just one year, we have dramatically changed the narrative. We have put in place, world-class roads that can stand the test of time.
For instance, hitherto impassable roads such as Chukwuma Nwoha Road, Dick tiger Road and Dick Tiger Street, MCC to Uratta Road, Relief Market Road, World Bank to Umuguma Road, Assumpta to hospital junction Road World Bank to federal secretariat Road and a host of others, have been fixed, to the delight of Imo people.
There are quite much we have done on roads, including the gigantic balloon driven tunnel from lake Nwebere axis, terminating at Otamiri. The tunnel is designed to end the perennial flooding of Owerri during the rains. This menace has been with our capital city since inception and the drainage solution has been in the Owerri master plan since 1976. But all previous administrations either ignored it or lacked the courage to tackle it. The result, Owerri remained heavily flooded during the raining season. But in less than one year, we did not only find the courage, but also the resources as well, to do the tunnel. The outcome is that Owerri is not flood free. That is what I call the sweet aroma of the audacity of Hope.
In addition, I am glad to confirm to you that we have a total of 46 roads, completed or under construction, in just one year. Most of these roads will be commissioned by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo GCON and others dignitaries, during the week. There will also be commissioning of numerous projects in other sectors within the week. So by the grace of God, I can tell you without any fear of contradiction that one year after, we have not failed Imo people.
As any genuine leader will tell you, governance or indeed any position of authority is not what can be achieved by carnal might. The fear of God and fervent prayers are essential ingredients of leadership. Let me; therefore, use this opportunity to ask for your prayers for our government, for the wisdom to do our utmost best at all times, for the good of Imo people.
Another area we made a difference is by remaining accountable to the people, I know that I cannot govern without the solid support of the Imo people, I have created many channels through which we can interface with the people. That is what informed the quarterly stakeholder’s forum to update our people on the policy directions of my administration. I urge all of us to avail ourselves of these channels so as not to be a victim of rumour mongers. This is actually your Government and you have a stake on how it is run.
One thing all of us can be sure of is that the days of lawlessness as the hall mark of government are over. We have restored the rule of law as the norm of governance. We have restored accountability in government. We have restored true democracy, the government of the people for the people and by the people, to the glory of God.
Once again, I thank all of you for making out time to join us in thanking God for a result filled one year in office. I thank members of the clergy for their soul-stirring sermons. I thank the various choirs for their angelic voices. I thank our security agencies for keeping the peace. I thank Imo people who have come from every hamlet to join us to praise God.
May we all be united in handing over our affairs to God because He will never fail us.
Thank you all and God bless
Sen. Hope Uzodimma
Governor
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