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| Governor Hope Uzodinma |
As Senator Hope Uzodinma braces up for the challenges of his new position as the governor of Imo State, a cross section of stakeholders in the state have urged him not to abandon the legacies put in place by the former governor, Emeka Ihedioha.
They said if the new governor wants development to thrive in the state, he must ensure the existing peace, security and calmness prevalent in the state was sustained.
Speaking to journalists in Owerri on Sunday, an Owerri based Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers and a Knight of St. Christopher of the Anglican Communion, Chief Sam Anokam said Ihedioha exhibited calmness and peace in the state, which should be sustained.
He said, “Senator Hope Uzodinma should do his work as the new governor of Imo State; look at some aspects of what Ihedioha has been able to do within this short time and consolidate on it for the benefit of Ndimo.
“I know he(Uzodinma) had been aspiring to govern Imo State since 1999 and he must have his programmes. We need him to speed up action to reconstruct Imo because his support cuts across the entire 27 LGAs of the state.
“He must also work hard to unite everybody in the state to ensure we have peace in Imo State otherwise, the gains of Ihedioha’s seven months in office will be lost”.
Chief Anokam said the emergence of Senator Uzodinma as the governor of Imo State, though a rude shock, was not the first time it was happening in the country and might not be the last unless Nigerians especially, the elites use their conscience and think for the good of the nation.
According to him, “In civilised climes, such things do not happen. But, in Nigeria, it has repeatedly happened.
“Our politics here is not that of a people who are thinking about the nation. No. People only think about their pockets and the square of influence it could command.
“This Hope Uzodinma emergence is not the first time it’s happening.
“When the NPN was there, situations like this happened when we were talking about 25 percent of the 19 states. Shagari became president through this kind of mathematical error or what some people called then, ‘hocus pocus’. That’s to tell you that it didn’t start today.
“We have been in this dilemma in the politics of Nigeria. They’re not considering the interest of the people. It’s the interest of those elites that are in position of power. How it favours the ordinary Nigerian, they don’t care.
“Why don’t we ask ourselves questions. Since Independence till now, we are still craving for development of this country. There is poverty in the land and people are running away to other countries seeking greener pastures. Those who are here are dying in installments.
Business is not thriving and when it comes to election to determine those that may change the situation for the better, the same elites and the powers that be will still determine who wins.
“We’re only praying that God will help us get the change we need. I want to also appeal to our people to make use of their conscience and think about this nation and the betterment of our people”.
He insisted that the current situation in the state was like a spilt milk that one should not cry over, adding that doing so would amount to distablising the existing peace in the state.
Also, a member of the Imo Patriotic Citizens Organization in Asia, Sir Chris Onyemaechi, who congratulated Governor Uzodinma, tasked him to wade into the infrastructural crisis in the state.
He said, the people would appreciate the governor more if the roads get more attention.
