President Muhammadu Buhari has assured the Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma of the readiness of the federal government under his watch to assist Imo State government to rebuild its ailing infrastructure.
Buhari made the pledge in Owerri today, Thursday, September 9, 2021 while speaking after commissioning some projects built by Hope Uzodinma administration. The President has sonic returned to Abuja, the seat of power.
He assured the governor and members of his team that he will come to their rescue any time soon. He declared that he would want to be remembered as the President who stabilised Nigeria in the area of security, economic prosperity and triumph over corruption.
The President, who also spoke at a town hall meeting with South East leaders during the one-day official visit, explained with less than two years left in his eight-year tenure as President, security still remains a major priority for his administration.
‘‘If there is no security, there is nothing anyone can do no matter how much you try or the initiative you have.
‘‘Security is number one priority and then the economy. When people feel secure they will mind their own business,’’ he said.
One of the projects he commissioned included the N2 Billion technology driven tunnel in Owerri. He described the project as a remarkable one and lauded the Imo State Government under Uzodinma for providing the dividends of democracy to Imolites.
Earlier, Governor Uzodinman had described President Buhari as a man of his words and thanked him for fulfilling his promise of paying an official visit to Imo State to the state despite all odds.
Meanwhile, some critics in the state have described the President’s official visit to Imo State a failed one because “in Igbo land if you’re host does not openly and welcome you, it then means that the the visit is a colossal failure”.
“I tried to watch it on television, and I could see the fraudulent attempts by the media to narrow each picture to the few persons around the President and Governor Uzodimma. It was quite easy to discern the scarcity of persons attending the event.
“The persons who were clearly visible around the President and the Governor were the persons in Ishiagu uniform. It was clear that nothing meaningful was being commissioned anywhere. The social media and other private reporters showed clearly that the streets of Owerri were totally deserted.
“The Government House in Owerri was being shown over and Owerri again and I can state fear of contradiction that there is NO new building there. The Exco Chambers building shown over and over again was rebuilt by Rochas in its entirety.
“Uzodimma may have put a touch of paint on the building externally but not one item inside was brought new. These 419 people never change their ways! Uzodimma may have put a touch of paint on the building externally but not one item inside was brought new.
“These 419 people never change their ways! Photos of the airport and environs show the immensity of armaments, aircrafts, tanks, helicopters and all assembled to intimidate the population. Little wonder they responded fully by not showing up anywhere. The streets in Owerri were totally deserted”, a commentator in the social Media observed.
“It a shame that while President Buhari is busy building Military Universities, railways and hospitals in the North, while our Governor is inviting him to commission invisible projects in the South East. It is a shame!” he angrily concluded.
Uche Nwosu is a two time Shell Petroleum PLC award winner in the year 2000;
He won the Shell Award on Investigative Journalism and Environmental Cleanliness.
