Imo State Governor, H. E. Rt. Hon Emeka Ihedioha has alleged that Okorocha looted the state’s purse and left it in a “deep hole of corruption and mindless misappropriation.”
Addressing Imo State stakeholders in Owerri, Governor Ihedioha insisted
that his predecessor’s eight years plunged the state into unsustainable
debt.
According to the governor, “Our interim findings show a consistent pattern of massive
looting and stripping of public assets, dismantling and carting away of
public property such as electric poles, vehicles, trucks, office
equipment and furniture etc.
“There were last-minute illegal sales of government property at
giveaway prices and unlawful allocation of land including backdating of
Certificates of Occupancy.”
Governor Ihedioha further stated that the state was faced with over N100 billion naira debt with “nothing to show for it.”
Disclosing that the state government has received over 30 billion
Naira worth of Garnishee Orders from contractors, the Imo State governor
alleged that the contracts were fraudulently awarded by Okorocha’s government.
“I must inform you in this regard that, so far we have received over
30 billion Naira worth of Garnishee Orders arising from several
ill-conceived and fraudulent contractual agreements deliberately
consummated by the past administration, to destroy the future of the
State and its teeming population by fettering the State in a humongous
debt trap,” Ihedioha said.
Full Address:
ADDRESS DELIVERED BY HIS EXCELLENCY RT. HON. EMEKA IHEDIOHA, CON,
GOVERNOR, IMO STATE TO THE FIRST ENLARGED IMO STATE STAKEHOLDERS MEETING
ON THURSDAY, 18TH JULY, 2019.
PROTOCOLS.
This is the first enlarged stakeholders meeting since I was sworn -in
as your Governor, and Hon. Engr Gerald Irona as Deputy Governor on 29th
May, 2019. It is therefore a great honour and privilege to welcome you
all. Today’s event is in keeping with our commitment on openness and
communication with you to regularly bring you to date with the
happenings in our administration particularly the journey so far and
some of our plans and challenges going forward. In doing this, we are open to genuine criticisms and suggestions on how best to serve you better.
We consider it of utmost importance to lay before you the facts we have
met on ground and the enormous efforts required to address them. This
is necessary in order to keep the records straight for posterity and for
the purpose of making our leaders accountable. In spite of the
challenges we have encountered in setting up this new government, the
depth of the decay has strengthened our resolve to keep our promise to
rebuild Imo and restore its former glory.
When we were
campaigning, we honestly underestimated the quantum of rot in the State
and the deep hole of corruption and mindless misappropriation
perpetuated by the last administration. Contracts were most times
awarded orally and without documentation, no paper trail and without the
input of relevant government Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
Our interim findings show a consistent pattern of massive looting and
stripping of public assets, dismantling and carting away of public
property such as electric poles, vehicles, tucks, office equipment and
furniture etc. There were last minute illegal sale of government
property at giveaway prices and unlawful allocation of land including
backdating of Certificates of Occupancy. Instances of mindlessly
withdrawing cash from government accounts in commercial banks without
due process as well as illegally recruiting and promoting civil
servants, are common place.
Unsustainable debts were incurred on
behalf of the State running to over a Hundred Billion Naira without
anything to show for it, and consequently, saddling the State with a
myriad of lawsuits and Garnishee Orders. I must inform you in this
regard that, so far we have received over 30 billion Naira worth of
Garnishee Orders arising from several ill-conceived and fraudulent
contractual agreements deliberately consummated by the past
administration, to destroy the future of the State and its teaming
population by fettering the State in a humongous debt trap.
These
were done to put the new administration in a very difficult situation.
In spite of all these, I wish to use this opportunity to appeal to our
people to remain patient and show understanding as we will not let
any person no matter how highly placed get away from the long arms of
the law without accounting for his misdeeds while in office.
From
the Interim findings of the Financial Advisory Committee set up to
ascertain the state of the finances of Imo state, several mind boggling,
incontrovertible but unsettling facts have emerged.
More
revelations are underway as the forensic investigation continues. I have
also chosen not to bore you with details and the unpleasant state of
the infrastructure we inherited including buildings and equipment.
Yes, we have inherited monumental rot from the immediate past
administration, but the reason why we convened this meeting is not to
bemoan the unfortunate situation but tell you steps that we have taken
in the last few weeks to re-route the State to the part of progress. We
shall indeed, overcome.
Even with the serious resource
constraints we face, we have decided to adopt innovative approaches to
reflate and grow the economy, including as follows:
• Maximize accessing of support from development partners particularly to fund health, water, sanitation, and education.
• Maximize accessing of resources from intervention funds of the
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Bank of Industry (BOI) and Development
Bank of Nigeria (DBN) to stimulate small and medium-scale enterprises
and create employment.
• Maximize attraction of private sector
investment (Local Direct Investment and Foreign Direct Investment) to
stimulate economic growth, employment and poverty reduction while
expanding the IGR base through relevant taxes and fees.
• All these initiatives will help to relax the fiscal pressure and release prosperity.
The Steps we have taken so far:
Improving Relationships With Other Arms Of Government. We realised from
the beginning that in a new Imo there must be strong institutions built
and anchored on the rule of law and due process. To this end, our first
act in office was an Orientation Programme with Members elect of the
Imo House of Assembly held at the shores of Oguta Lake. The venue was
deliberately chosen to market Oguta as a tourist destination and for
local and international Conferences. This was followed with the
inauguration of the House of Assembly and the peaceful election of their
Presiding officers. Two weeks ago, we swore-in the Chief Judge of the
Customary Court of Appeal to ensure the quick dispensation of Justice.
We are committed to the principle of separation of powers and open
government.
As a government, we are profoundly committed to due
process, transparency and accountability in conducting Government
business. This will be a complete departure from the past where
transactions were shrouded in secrecy, non-conformity, nepotic
considerations and lack of acceptable standards. To this end, the
following steps are in place: -
• PROCUREMENT PROCESSES - The
Bureau of Public Procurement and Price Intelligence has been revived
from its former moribund state. A new Director General has been
appointed and the process of reinvigorating the institution has
commenced. The State Government is committed to ensuring due process is
followed in the review, selection and award of contracts.
•
PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING - In the previous administration, public
expenditure was not backed by a budget. This administration is committed
to citizen involvement and engagement in the budget process and to use
the budget as the guide for proper allocation of resources, in alignment
with the State’s policy priorities.
• OPEN GOVERNMENT
PARTNERSHIP - Efforts are being made to ensure that the state signs up
to the Open Government Partnership (OGP) as this will not only promote
transparency and accountability but serve as an anchor for our
administration’s reforms in the public sector.
Setting Up
The Government - Appointment Of Principal Staff And Other Key Officers
Of Government; One of our first acts in office was to make critical
appointments of Staff to assist the Governor and Deputy Governor in
running the affairs of Government. This informed the immediate
appointments of the Secretary to the State Government; The Attorney
General and Commissioner for Justice; the Chief of Staff, Special
Advisers, Senior Special Assistants and Special Assistants in various
areas requiring immediate attention. Early next week, I will forward a
list of my nominated Commissioners to the Imo State House of Assembly
for consideration. The “Rebuild Imo” team is gradually taking shape. In
all the appointments made so far, we have not only tried to reflect
geographically balance, but ensured that capable hands are engaged to
fill various vacant positions.
Dismantling of Existing Structures For Retooling And Proper Take Off Of Our Administration;
We have had cause too to dismantle some existing structures in the
Executive branch, in order to appoint capable hands imbued with the same
zeal, mission and loyalty to our state and its people. We simply would
have no excuses to give to Imo people for non-performance. We must take
responsibility for our actions. Any cog in the wheel of progress that
may have Agenda to slow us down or mislead or misdirect us will be shown
the way out. This informed the dissolution of various Boards, Agencies,
Parastatals and Commissions and removal of relevant officers of the
Agencies, following due process and acting within our constitutional
powers. We have since started putting square pegs in square holes, so to
speak.
Appointment of Administrative Fact-Finding Committees on Various Aspects of Governance;
My dear Ndi Imo, our mission is to rebuild our state, and it is a
mission that demands action from us. However, as a rule-based
government, we have opted to be deliberate rather than arbitrary.
Consequently, we have inaugurated different Committees to address
immediate concerns, obtain relevant information and facts and provide us
a clear compass for Executive, judicial or legislative action, where
and when necessary.
To this end, we inaugurated the Imo State
Financial Advisory Committee to help us, among other things, determine
the state and status of our finances, and conduct a forensic audit of
past government finances.
So far, the Committee has successfully
unraveled systemic and monumentally fraudulent transactions orchestrated
by the past administration. The work of the Committee is continuing and
God willing, the report will be published for our people to judge for
themselves.
We have also set up a Committee to review the
last-minute recruitment and promotions in the Imo State public service.
The aim really is to determine whether the Civil Service Rules were
adhered to in appointments and promotions. Where certain persons have
been unjustly treated, we will remedy the situation, and where
infractions are evident, we will correct them. The Committee has made
far reaching recommendations. Notably, based on the recommendations of
the Review Committee, we have reversed the appointments of twelve (12)
Permanent Secretaries that were made at the twilight of the last
administration without recourse to due process.
We have also set
up a Committee on Market Development, to among other things identify the
markets in the State and determine their status; ascertain the revenues
accruable to the State, determine where injustices were meted to land
owners, shop owners, traders and other stakeholders with a view to
finding ways to ameliorate, compensate and/redress such injustices; The
Committee has since commenced work and is making steady progress.
Government Policy is to find an amicable solution with the traders.
In the same vein, we have inaugurated an Interim Management Committee
for Adapalm, one of the age-old assets and major potential economic
drivers in the State that was monumentally mismanaged and plundered by
the immediate past administration. The interim report we received on the
State of Adapalm is simply mind boggling and another case of rape of
the State resources. The Committee will apart from managing the affairs
of the company in the interim, investigate the alleged
concession/leaseholds awarded, at different times, to different
companies. We are certain that by the time the Committee completes its
assignment, Adapalm would be returned to the people. We are also looking
for credible and reputable investors who will turn the fortunes of the
estate around.
The Imo Transport Company (ITC) has also received
government attention. In order to halt the drift and corruption that
has, over time, been associated with the company, where revenues are
paid into the personal accounts of individuals and company assets sold
to family members and cronies of government officials, an interim
Management Committee has been set up to apart from managing the company,
develop an implementable framework for repositioning it for optimal
service delivery. I am confident that the new management will make far
reaching recommendations to revive the Transport Company.
Apart
from Adapalm, Imo State has a rubber estate which I am certain citizens
of Imo may have forgotten that it ever existed. We have set up an
Interim management Committee to review all purported agreements and
forestall all illegal harvests of rubber products.
The traffic
problem in the State capital has been an issue of great concern.
Consequently, the government has set up a Traffic Decongestion and
Illegal Parks Committee, to among other things remove all illegal motor
parks and relocate them appropriately, and negotiate with traders within
the municipality in order to relocate them from the street to more
suitable locations. The accomplishments of the Committee are becoming
visible by the day. Most importantly, there is now free flow of traffic
on Douglas road. This was impossible some years ago.
Grappling
With Problem Of A Hostile Hand-Over Without Proper Documentation, No
Functional Offices, No Vehicles Or Equipment, Hostile Environment With
Personnel Poised To Sabotage A Smooth Take Off:
The immediate
past administration and its appointees carted away almost every movable
and immovable asset belonging to Imo people. Consequently, we have set
up a high-powered recovery team and the team is making tremendous
progress. While I must caution this Committee to respect the rights and
dignity of suspected looters of government property, may I use this
opportunity to advise all those concerned to voluntarily hand over these
assets to the Committee, as we have taken a firm resolve to recover and
return to Imo people their assets as no one individual is bigger than
the State. The law enforcement agencies are required to assist the
Committee in carrying out this important assignment.
Can you
Imagine that Government House Owerri was disconnected from public power
supply, due to unpaid bills. I recently reversed that by settling some
of the arrears and reconnect it back to public power supply.
Some
may say that too many Committees are being set up. Yes. Before we move
forward in rebuilding Imo, we must address these foundational issues.
These Committees are necessary to obtain raw data and facts of where we
are coming from, where we are, in order to transit with certainty to the
future. These issues have necessitated the setting up of the Task Teams
whose membership have been painstakingly sourced. They need your
support and adequate time to do a thorough job in delivering on their
assignments.
We are taking every issue deliberately and with
measured assurances. Every area of infraction, including the most vexed
issue of illegal land allocation or the expropriation of public landed
property, will be tackled with zeal and determination. Only last week,
the Expanded State Executive Council approved the constitution of a
Judicial Commission of Enquiry into the abuse of our Land Use.
Other Initiatives:
Education:
Our state is reputed for having one of the most educated populace. You
may even say that education for Imo is an industry, yet the last
administration not only neglected the sector, but went about
bastardizing the structure by proliferating (albeit on paper) the
establishment of tertiary institutions. Government has set up a
high-powered panel of renowned academics to review the newly established
universities to ascertain their viability in terms of funding and
procedures that led to their establishment. The State Government has
commissioned a comprehensive needs assessment for the four technical and
other vocational colleges in Imo State. To this end, Council only
recently approved the program and commencement will start soon.
The government is committed to improving both access to and quality of
education at primary and tertiary levels. In furtherance of this, the
State Government is has engaged with Imo State University to assess
their needs and areas for our intervention.
I am glad to say that
in the midst of deprivation and slashed allocations, Imo State
University is still associated with individual academic successes,
typical of Ndi Imo. For example, Out of the 39 or so newly appointed
Senior Advocates of Nigeria, three (3) were from Imo state, one of whom
is a Professor of Law from Imo State University.
Ultimately, we
believe that with the right kind of investments in education, Imo state
will stand out from its peers in the sector. Having said that, primary
education will be compulsory and qualitative in Imo State. We will urge
parents to ensure that their children and wards obtain primary education
and will hold them responsible for non-adherence.
Among other
issues we have confronted head long is the matter of the Environment and
particularly waste disposal. We have just appointed the Management of
ENTRACO to deal with this very important part of our Agenda. We
commenced massive waste disposal and we shall continue to build on our
successes. This is in line with our “Go Green, Stay Clean” campaign
which we kick started with tree planting. We have also stopped the
illegal sand dredging across the State, particularly in the State
capital. This was after we visited a most devastating and inhuman
dredging activity, close to the Emmanuel College, Owerri axis. We must
educate our people on the implications of these unwholesome practices on
our environment and the danger it portends for future generations of
Imo citizens.
The ENTRACO management has commenced work. Their
activities are visible across the capital, particularly with the
desilting going on along many streets and axis of our capital. We are
indeed on the positive route of restoring Owerri, nay Imo State as the
cleanest city and State in Nigeria. Only yesterday, the former Governor
of Imo State, in the person of Chief Ikedi Ohakim was appointed the
Chairman of a high-powered committee whose responsibility, amongst other
things, is to restore Imo to the golden era during which Owerri was
regarded as the cleanest city and. Imo won the prize of the cleanest
state in Nigeria consecutively in 2008, 2009 and 2010 respectively. In
furtherance of sustaining this our lost legacy I have equally instituted
an monthly award for the cleanest local government in Imo State during
the tenor of my administration.
On health care delivery, I have
directed the Imo State Health Management Board to immediately liaise
with the Interim Management Committee Chairmen in each of the local
government areas to begin a primary health care Needs Assessment to
ascertain what can be done to enhance healthcare delivery in our State.
We are also leveraging on Federal Government programs and donor support
to actualize the health needs of our people. The government has also
engaged with the donor community to attract them to support our efforts
to ensure good quality basic health care. The state has re-engaged the
issue of health insurance. Discussions are ongoing between the State and
representatives of the labour union to ensure that Imo workers are
mobilized to enroll in the health insurance scheme. Council recently
approved measures to satisfy condition precedent to drawing down from
the Health Care Basic Fund which will serve as seed for the commencement
of the Health Insurance Scheme at the public formal sector level.
In the area of power supply, we have engaged the Transmission Company of
Nigeria and Enugu Electric Distribution Company to complete the Oguta
33kV line from Egbu, which is expected to be completed soon. This will
supply reliable electricity to the Oguta environs while freeing the old
Oguta 33kV line to make available more electricity for the New Owerri
areas. Only a reliable and adequate power supply will guarantee the
industrialization agenda of our government. Through our intervention,
further work has commenced at the 132 x 33 KVA sub stations located at
Ideato and Aboh Mbaise respectively, with a view to completing them by
the end of this year.
On water supply, pipe borne water, became a
complete luxury as we couldn’t find functional tap water anywhere in
the state. The Imo State Water Authority has undergone some
restructuring, and is now equipped to begin putting in place the
required systems for pipe-borne water provision. In a month, some parts
of Owerri will certainly have access to water.
Pensions and staff verification:
In the course of our campaigns, we interacted extensively with Imo
pensioners – elders that have contributed their own to the development
of our State. We found that they were not paid their benefits with owed
arrears amounting sometime to almost 80 months (over 6 calendar years).
We constituted a committee to look into pensions with a view to not only
paying, but providing a sustainable framework for payment as at when
due. We tasked a team of experts to work with them to achieve a viable
process.
I am glad to inform you we have adopted of the
Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) as the most sustainable system.
Incidentally, the Imo State House of Assembly, passed a Law to this
effect since 2009, but it is yet to be activated, in the interest of the
pensioners, till date. Further to this, we are conducting a credible LG
– by – LG verification exercise to once and for all get the correct
data. We appeal for understanding as this is for the sole purpose of
sanitising the system. We are also conducting a staff audit in both the
State and Local Governments to help fish out ghost workers and also
restore efficiency in the public service as every staff will be required
to clock in and clock out each working day.
Taking Control of Local Government Structures:
N’dimo are fully aware that there was no Local Government election in
the last 8 years. The charade that took place recently was so patently
flawed that even the legal requirement of adequate notice was flouted.
We took initiative acting with approval of the House of Assembly to
activate our emergency powers to suspend local governments political
leadership for 6 Months pending inquiry and resolution of legal
disputes. This action was taken consequent upon the resolution of the
House of Assembly requiring me to suspend the Local Government Chairmen,
Vice Chairmen, Councillors and investigate allegations of corrupt
practices and misappropriation of public funds made against them. This
Committee has been constituted and just been inaugurated.
In our
determined commitment to restore democracy at all levels of government
and with the approval of the State House of Assembly, we inaugurated
Interim Management Committees for the 27 Local government Areas and
charged them with development and preparing the local governments for
elections by the end of the year. This is a very important step in
restoring confidence of our people in the democratic process. With the
Approval of the State House of Assembly, the Imo State Independent
Electoral Commission has also been reconstituted to carry out its
constitutional functions in this regard.
Still on Local
Government administration, I can confirm to you that, in line with my
promise and pledge, we have commenced the practice of financial autonomy
of the Local Government administration in the state. They will soon
commence similar stakeholders meetings.
Engagement with Multilateral Agencies and Development Partners:
My dear good people of Imo State, the journey is still very far but we
are making steady progress. I have good news for you. Prior to our
inauguration on 29th May, 2019, we embarked on economic and diplomatic
visits to the United Kingdom and Germany, where we interacted with
development/investment partners and donor agencies. Upon my return, I
had meetings with the World Bank, the French Development Bank (AFD), the
UK Department for International Development DfID and the German
Embassy. They all expressed their willingness to partner with us to get
our state out of the woods and make it the pearl of the South-East.
Suffice it to say that in the last eight years, Imo has not leveraged
on multi-lateral development assistance on account of our inability to
comply with certain basic requirements, such as payment of counterpart
funding and lack of transparency in the state’s administrative
processes. But today, due to the positive perception of our government,
international development partners are beginning to show renewed
interest in partnering with Imo State to achieve its strategic
development plan. Indeed, few weeks ago, as evidence that Imo is now
being viewed as open and good for business, a team of prospective
investors visited Imo Modern Poultry, Avutu and showed keen interest in
revamping this legacy project. If fully operational, the poultry will
provide over 2,000 jobs, catalyze local economic growth, create job
opportunities for our people, increase our state’s revenue and meet the
people’s protein needs. I have since directed the Obowo Local Government
Interim Management Committee to coordinate the clearing of the
abandoned facility and prepare it for investors. I must specifically
commend the enthusiasm and effort of the Community in this regard.
Few weeks ago, I led a small team of government officials and private
sector entrepreneurs on an investment trip to Russia. There we held
meetings with the AfriExim bank – the leading Pan African trade finance
institution, that have pledged support in the form of a robust credit
line for prospective investors in the state.
Our government very
recently reviewed its partnership with the UNICEF to deliver key
programs in the health, education, water and sanitation sectors. This
partnership will complement our on-going efforts to revive water supply
in Imo state. We are working tirelessly to ensure that in one month,
some parts of Owerri will have pipe-borne water running in their homes
again.
We inherited a very bad, abysmally low and hostile business
reputation and environment. In the 2018 World Bank Ease of Doing
Business ranking, Imo State faired very badly in almost all indices
used. Imo is ranked 34 out of 37 in the Ease of Starting a Business;
Number 33 in Ease of Registering Property and No. 37 in Ease of
Enforcing Contracts. The last in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We
have not only designated an Ease of Doing Business Desk, we are
committed to improving the indices all round,
Flag-off of Ezemazu- Urualla Gully Erosion Control Project.
Imo State is prone to erosion. It ravishes communities and destroys
their farm lands, roads and cutting them off from their neighbors. As
part of our commitments, on my assumption of office I directed the
immediate release of N 500m being the state’s counterpart fund that
engineered The World Bank funds under the Nigerian Erosion and Watershed
Management Project (NEWMAP). Only last week, we flagged-off the
Ezemazu-Urualla Gully Erosion project in Ideato North LGA, valued at
N9,981,765,514.14, World Bank project supervised by NEWMAP. It is
instructive to note that for whatever reason, the last administration
abandoned the fate of a generality of Imo’s gully erosion sites to rot.
This project was stalled for several years because the immediate past
government refused to pay the N500m counterpart funds. When my attention
was drawn to the project, I immediately directed the release of the
N500m counterpart funds, and today as we speak the project has commenced
and I was assured by the contractor that they will respect the
contractual agreement, and complete the project in 24 months.
Signing of the Executive Order 005. Treasury Single Account.
We are sanitizing the Imo State financial sector through the
introduction of Treasury Single Account (TSA) system. We inherited a
government ran from personal accounts and over 250 bank accounts, which
ensured that government was ran in a very opaque manner. Looting of the
State treasury which characterized the last administration has become a
thing of the past The TSA is an aggressive institutional mechanism that
guarantees transparency, probity, accountability, and essentially
protect the people of the State against multiple taxation. By this
singular action, our global rating in the ease of doing business, no
doubt, has improved as investors are beginning to show renewed interest
in the state.
Road Rehabilitation Projects.
Though this is rainy
season when road construction is usually very difficult and not
advisable, but considering the level of dilapidation of roads across the
State and particularly the State capital, the Executive Council last
week approved the immediate rehabilitation of the following ten critical
roads both within Owerri and outside it.
We visited the
Mgbe-Umuchima Bridge situated along Orlu-Akokwa road that collapsed last
week. It is a huge concern to all of us. I assure that government will
take immediate measures to address the situation. Communication amongst
rural communities remains a top priority. Indeed, the Rural Access and
Mobility Project (RAMP), which has been inactive has been resuscitated
by the State Government.
The projects will commence soon after our
Bureau of Public Procurement and Price Intelligence have conducted their
due diligence in line with our commitment to transparency and global
best practices.
Public Security and Safety
We cannot allow Imo
State to be an abode for criminal gangs. Plans are underway to improve
the security of lives and property in Imo State and reduce the crime
rate in the state. Meanwhile I must commend the security agencies in the
state who, only a few days ago, burst a notorious kidnap gang that has
been terrorizing our people. To compliment this, I recently approved the
reactivation of 5 numbers of fire trucks. It will interest you to know
that before now, no single fire truck of the Imo Fire Service was
functional and effective.
Rehabilitation of Dan Anyiam and Grasshoppers Stadia
In the past, our State was known for sporting excellence in the
country. The exploits of our Grasshoppers handball team, Chioma Ajunwa,
Charity Opara, Christy Opara, Henry Nwosu, kelechi Nwakali, Late
Innocent Egbunike, etc, quickly come to mind. In recent times, there’s
been a dearth of facilities for sporting activities and training. To
address this, Government has commissioned the rehabilitation of the
Grasshoppers Handball Stadium and the Dan Anyiam Stadium. It is
anticipated that with improved sporting facilities, Imo which once had a
reputation as the Home of Sports will have its lost glory restored in
this sector.
.
Relationship with Organized Labour.
The
relationship between our administration and labour has improved
dramatically as we are committed to paying workers their due. We were
able to negotiate with the Nigerian Medical Association to call off
their strike action recently. While we are making determined and assured
efforts to sanitize the pension administration in the State so that our
pensioners can receive their due without unnecessary delay.
In
the next four years, my dear Ndi Imo, our mission will be to rebuild our
beloved state and reposition it as a first class, first rate State for
investment, a social, political and economic powerhouse, an oasis of
peace, security and development. It is a mission that requires the
support, sympathy and cooperation of every citizen of our great State.
It will also require the patience, patriotism and prayers of all of us.
As we march to reclaim and rebuild our state, let us consciously take
pride in being Imo citizens in all we do - in our culture, what we
produce, our unity and commitment for excellence. Imo can and will
indeed be great again through our collective and individual efforts
Together we shall rebuild Imo.
God bless Imo State. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Imo wu nke anyi n’ile!
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