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When, recently, Imo State Governor, Sen­ator Hope Uzodimma, told media executives to freely go round the state to see what his government had done in catering to the needs of the people, he knew that he was staking his reputation.

The governors knew that prying eyes of journalists could see the wrong things. But he was ready to take the risk, confident that his administration has done well in fulfilling its own side of the Social Contract.

Governor Uzodimma had told senior journalists, including ex­ecutive members of the Nigerian Guild of Editors: “Take time to move around the state and see for yourselves, the progress we have made in building Imo into a model of excellence. As you do, you will notice that the flyover at Assumpta Roundabout was not there when last you were here. You will also see that the World-Class International Conference Centre at Orlu Road junction has since been completed.

“But above all, I urge you to in­teract with the management of the Orashi Electricity Company, so that you can be well appraised of how far we have gone in our determi­nation, to provide 24/7 electricity across all 27 local government areas of the state in the coming months.

“I am confident that by the time you conclude your visit, you will agree with us that a new Imo is tru­ly on the rise.”

True to the promise, some giant strides have been made in Imo State under the Uzodimma administra­tion. Right from the second term of the government, massive infra­structure and welfare programmes have been unveiled and vigorously been pursued.

Nobody would lose sight of the Mgbe/Umuchima erosion site, in Ideato, where reclaim work is on­going.

One of the engineers handling the project, Chibuzo Agwuamba, told media executives who took up Governor Uzodimma’s challenge of going round the state to see things for themselves, that the double lane and bridge would be completed in no time, adding that the Orashi River, which was diverted to enable construction work, would soon flow naturally, like before.

The joy on the faces of the indi­genes of Mgbe and Umuchima is be­yond comprehension, as they pray for the governor and his team, for not only keeping to the promise of fixing the road, but also for saving the community from being washed away by erosion.

The all-important road, which links Imo State and Anambra, failed completely because of the poor con­struction by the Rochas Okorocha government and the neglect of the immediate past government, before Uzodimma came to office.

At a place, where a bridge was needed, the past government built a culvert across a river with high tor­rent. To made matters worse, it was a slope, where water from the high­er parts, right and left, converge into the fast-flowing Orashi River. It was therefore not surprising that the road was washed away by flash flood and completely swallowed by erosion.

In the reclaiming job, the Uzo­dimma government is planning a concrete bridge across the river and to join the hilly parts of the road.

Already, concrete drainages are being g constructed on either sides of the expressway.

As part of its programme to bring government close to the people, the Imo State Government House Annex in Eziachi, Orlu, is an­other cardinal project that thrilled visiting editors.

At a time when rural dwellers feel that Government House, which is situated at the capital city, Owerri, makes government look distant, the building of a Government House Annex in Orlu, gives the people a sense of belonging. Having a Gov­ernment House Annex near rural dwellers brings them closer to gov­ernment.

The ultra-modern Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Confer­ence Centre, in Owerri, is standing as an edifice in the heart of Owerri.

Those who knew the old ICC would not believe their eyes at what is on ground now.

When Uzodimma assumed of­fice, there was a poorly construct­ed “conference centre” on the spot. Soon after, the structure’s roof was blow off by wind and the walls start­ed caving in.

Since the entire structure failed integrity test, Governor Uzodimma had shut the premises and planned a befitting edifice. The old structure was brought down and cleared, while construction started afresh.

Now standing as a Colossus is a brand new ICC that would host international and local confer­ence, weddings and other events. With massive parking area, and ultra- modern facilities, the ICC is expected to make Owerri a con­ference destination, as part of the state’s tourism boost.

The Assumpta Flyover at the intersection of Owerri-Port Har­court expressway, Owerri- Onitsha expressway and Bank Road is a leg­acy project that would change the traffic situation in Owerri.

Located at the “Control” area of Owerri, in front of the Assumpta Cathedral of the Catholic Church the flyover rises from two points and Port Harcourt Road end, into Onitsha Road end and Onitsha-Ow­erri road end into Bank Road. When completed, vehicles from the Onit­sha road end to Port Harcourt road will use the bridge as well as vehi­cles from inside town (Bank Road) Onitsha-Owerri road. With this bridge, the hitherto traffic conges­tion at “Control” round about will be solved.

The Owerri-Umuahia express Road is a project that gladdens the hearts of many. Just like the Ower­ri-Orlu Road and Owerri-Okigwe road, the Owerri-Umuahia road is an important gateway. Hitherto in bad shape, the road, which passes Mbaise, Obowo and running all the way to Onuimo, the border bridge between Imo and Abia, is wearing a new look following the complete makeover or reconstruction by Gov Uzodimma government. Thecroad is dualised with streetlights along the stretch, passing major villages as Mbaise and Obowo.

Expressing happiness at the lev­el of infrastructure put on ground by Governor Hope Uzodimma, the President of Nigerian Guild of Ed­itors, Eze Anaba said: “The most impressive of the projects that I saw was the road linking the former gov­ernor’s place. It is very impressive. The narrative was that, it is a Fed­eral Road that had been abandoned for a while, but it’s the people of the state that use the road.

“A significant part of the state had been cut off; so the fact that the governor deemed it fit to link the two together is highly commend­able. I even learnt that one can con­nect Anambra, using the road and it makes it more impressive.”

Anaba also has some kind words for Governor Uzodimma. He de­clared: “I want to congratulate the governor because, that’s what is called good governance. If peo­ple are able to move about, it will encourage commerce, improve well-being and that’s what gover­nance is all about, that’s what we call democracy, to let people enjoy the dividends of democracy.

“We saw the flyover, too, it’s an­other significant project. Onthe international conference centre, we had earlier seen what was con­structed in the past, when the Guild came to Owerri two years ago for our biennialconvention. But this is in a class of its own. The Emmanu­el Iwuanyanwu International Con­ference is excellent. It will attract a lot of business and revenue to the state. A whole lot of business can be done; a whole industry can open up. Conferences will hold, and you will see things beginning to happen for good. It’s quite impressive.”

Anaba described the fallacy of Imo State being insecurity desti­nation as politics. He said though, unqualified to speak on the issue having been in the state for just two days, “with what I’ve seen so far, and where I’ve been, peoplexare going about their business without fears. My prayer is that peace is for every­body, let the people breathe.

“Let there be peace in the South East, so that people can live, so that development can come. We should not escalate the fear, that the South East is unlivable. It’s not good for anybody. My plea is, let there be peace in the South East.”

On road infrastructure, the NGE helmsman posited that the gover­nor has done excellently well on road construction, adding that the worst democracy is far better than the best military administration.

“If a civilian government de­cides to work, just the way Gov­ernor Uzodimma is working, the people will benefit, and in Imo State, the people are benefitting. So, I can only encourage the gov­ernor to keep it up,” NGE president concluded.

Governor Uzodimma had come to office eith “3-R programme,” standing for Reconstruction, Re­covery and Rehabilitation.

The tripod programme of action of Uzodimma’s administration is not merely existing on paper, as he also matches his words with action. His good works of re-constructing, recovering and rehabilitating are noticeable in all sectors, including road constructions, Health, Educa­tion, prompt payment of salaries and pension, security, rehabilitation of decayed infrastructure.

Addressing members of Imo House of Assembly and Imo indi­genes on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in what was tagged, “State of the State Address”, Governor Uzodimma said: “When I assume office, I was immediately confronted with two pressing issues: widespread infra­structure decay, and the near-total breakdown of state institutions.”

“Most roads were either, impass­able or outright death traps. Gov­ernance was paralyzed. The civil service, often referred to as the en­gine room of government, had lost both its form and function. Even, the Government House had been reduced to a laughable caricature, with official business often conduct­ed in Bush Bars or Guest Houses.”

Confrontated with the mirads of challenges, the Governor rolled up his sleeves and swung into action in what many referred to, as “In­frastructural Revolution.”

Governor Uzodimma recalled: ” We began our rebuilding efforts with the civil service and critical road infrastructure within the Ow­erri Capital City. The choice was de­liberate. A functional civil service is the backbone of good governance, and motorable roads are essential for commerce, public mobility and adminstrative efficiency.”

Elaborating further on his ef­forts to respond to the needs and yearnings of Imo people in his first eighteen months of his second ten­ure, Uzodimma told the Assembly members; “Our commitment to in­frastructure remains resolute.”

According to him, Imo now boasts of one of the most extensive and impactful road networks in Nigeria, revealing that his admin­istration has constructed more roads than all previous administra­tions since 1999, combined. These ranged from the finalized Owerri -Orlu and Owerri- Okigwe roads, to the MCC-Toronto-Uratta corridor, which connect communities, boost trade, reduce travel time and stim­ulate productivity.

Governor Uzodimma said: “To date, we have completed over 129 roads across the state. In the past 18 months alone; we delivered 37 brand new roads, an iconic edifice, International Conference Centre and befitting Government House Annex, Orlu.

“We also have the Assumpta Fly­over and the new Concorde-Hilton Hotel as landmark legacy projects.”

He listed the new roads to in­clude; Toronto-Orji Road, Naze-Og­bosisi Road, Orlu-Nkume-Umuowa Road; Oru West LGA Road, Mgbi­di-Omuma-Okporo Road, Ower­ri-Mbaise-Umuahia Road, among numerous others.

With two and half years to go, Uzodimma is pressing forward to prove his critics wrong. Recently, he announced a minimum wage of N104, 000 for state workers and he is passionate about his electrifi­cation programme, with the Orashi Electricity Company.