By Rapheal

Copyright thesun

Tuesday, September 30, 2025, will pass as Hope Uzodimma’s day of crowning glory in Nigeria. On that day, Uzodimma, as governor of Imo state, shone like a thousand stars when he led President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Prof. Nantawe Yitwalda, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, his deputy, Barau Jibrin, the compassionate Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, his supportive deputy, Benjy Okezie, all governors of the APC, some ministers and critical stakeholders, among many others, to commission three signature projects – the Twin Flyover at Assumpta Cathedral intersection, which resolves the perennial gridlock there, the 52 kilometers Owerri-Umuahia road which traverses several local government areas, and the 6000 sitting capacity International Conference Center, named after late President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, which comprehensively shames what was built there by one of his predecessors.

Except for an APC presidential campaign rally, it is almost impossible to gather all these individuals at a single event outside Abuja. But Uzodimma pulled them to Owerri alongside many religious leaders and first class traditional rulers including the Obi of Onitsha, Agbogidi Nnaemeka Achebe; the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi; the Obong of Calabar, His Eminence Edidem Ekpo Abasi Otu V; the Amayanabo of Nembe, King (Dr) Edward Maduabebe Daukoru; the Tor Tiv, Orchivirigh (Prof) James Ayatse, and the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar among many others, in a manner that affirms his inspiring national stature backed by a humble leadership impact which transcends Imo state. It further signifies Uzodimma’s capacity to build a federal-state synergy for the progressive development of Imo State. Thousands of Imolites graced the event in solidarity with their governor, who has, since January 2020, gradually emerged as a pivotal figure in Nigeria’s politics, embodying a leadership style that prioritises infrastructure renewal, economic diversification, and inclusive governance. His administration is ranked the best that Imolites have witnessed since 2011.

Uzodimma inherited a state that was plagued by insecurity, leadership myopia, infrastructural deficit, and economic stagnation, but very high on inconsequentials like statutes, squares and a familiocracy that added no measurable value to the economy of the state. But through his ‘shared prosperity agenda’, Uzodimma has gone ahead to address the challenges with bold and courageous reforms, which have now re-positioned Imo as a hub for innovation and investment in the southeast region. A review of his ‘activism’ in the oil and gas sector of the Imo economy speaks to his resilience in driving change in Imo and bringing back to the state gas exploration companies operating in the state, but from elsewhere. According to Uzodimma, Imo must host the headquarters of such companies. That decision is driving his focus on rebuilding Imo Concorde Hotel and returning it to its five-star status alongside a new mall that will be the hub of business. These will be supported by a beach-front resort development around the Nworie River, to drive tourism and leisure. The river is currently being dredged for a purpose. These align with a 10-year development plan to industrialise Imo, which Uzodimma unveiled during his second-term inauguration, and targets agriculture, solid minerals, education, health, and digital infrastructure with hope for the best.

Uzodimma is also driving the state towards leveraging its vast gas reserves for energy freedom and security, with the Orashi Power Plant playing a vital role in his ‘Light Up Imo’ project, which aims to boost industrialisation with regular power supply to Imo communities. The dredging of Oguta Lake to the Atlantic Ocean promises to transform the economy of the region and also become an incentive for tourism. These are backed by effective reforms in human capital development, which have seen vast investments in education, including the recruitment and training of 10,000 primary school teachers and the ‘Skill Up Imo’, which has had a positive impact on a lot of youths in the state. All these, including his recent radical mark-up in the state minimum wage policy, have earned accolades for the governor from The Sun, Vanguard and a UN peace awards for promoting inclusion and harmonious existence.

However, the biggest accolade for Uzodimma comes from his contributions to intellectual discourse. The presentation of his latest book, ‘A Decade of Impactful Progressive Governance in Nigeria’, blew the lid on him as not only a transformational leader, but also a scholarly geek who finds time, amidst the challenges of governing Imo, pushing the levers of development in the state, leading the Progressive Governors Forum and writing. Not many can effectively combine these. This is because ‘A Decade of Impactful Progressive Governance in Nigeria’ was well researched and detailed in prose and context. Chronicling a decade of progressive governance in Nigeria is tasking because a writer has to sieve through a barrage of materials to contextualise his arguments and draw parallels between progressivism and conservatism in Nigeria’s politics. Uzodimma did this effortlessly. His experience and learning, as a youth leader in the Second Republic under the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), came in handy in enabling him to situate the argument in his book.

If there was any doubt about the governor’s intellectual acumen, his latest book shredded it. By providing an ideological framing of the APC in the book, Uzodimma gave the party its best positive publicity yet. It was a massive lift for the party. He weaved a narrative that situated progressivism as Nigeria’s best political ideology for inclusive governance and people-centric development, which he has championed in Imo state effortlessly. Alongside the infrastructural projects that he builds for Imo, which are regarded for their quality, Uzodimma used his latest book to create a narrative that affirms and advocates for the sustenance of progressive governance in Nigeria.

While the book frames APC’s decade of reforms as Nigeria’s saving grace in comparison with the years before 2015, its production quality attests to Uzodimma’s flair for quality. These are exemplified in all his projects across Imo state. His projects are radical departures from the past. They also speak to the governor’s zero tolerance for substandard work. He is fixated on durable projects, not like those he inherited, which shine like painted sepulchres with deficient structural engineering requirements, lacking in standards and threatening to collapse on citizens, which made COREN once denounce them as “accidents waiting to happen.” Indeed, they were.

As it is, Uzodimma has earned for himself a place on the APC table and a place in history. The story of the new Imo cannot be told without a chapter on his transformational leadership, which has positively impacted residents of the state. His signature on Owerri-Orlu, Owerri-Okigwe, Owerri-Umuahia, Orlu-Uga and about 120 other roads, which await replication on Okwelle-Ntueke, Dikenafai-Umudi-Nkwerre, Owerri-Aba and Owerri-Port Harcourt roads, speaks to his intentional investment in road infrastructure that connects almost all 27 local government areas of the state, opening them to the state capital for trade and other economic activities. No doubt, Uzodimma has created a name for himself as the hope of Imo, and he appears well-prepared for future leadership challenges that will define and institutionalise the APC years in Nigeria’s governance history.