By Peter Okolie
The scale and quality of infrastructure development in Imo has been described as an evidence of purposeful leadership, and effective collaboration between the Federal and State Governments.
Mr Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, stated this on Thursday in Owerri during the Renewed Hope Ambassadors National Media Tour.
Dare said that the infrastructure development in Imo under Gov. Hope Uzodimma-led administration was a revolution worthy of emulation by other subnationals in the country.
The Tour is an initiative of the Uzodimma-led Renewed Hope Ambassadors in collaboration with the Presidential Communications Team.
The delegation, which included members of the Presidential Communications Team and over 40 senior journalists, toured several completed and ongoing projects across Imo.
Dare applauded Uzodimma for driving an infrastructure that was transforming the state into a major hub for innovation, healthcare, education and economic development.
Among the projects inspected was the Imo Digital City, where smartphones and laptops are being assembled, providing employment opportunities and positioning the state as a centre for digital technology and innovation in Nigeria.
The team inspected the ongoing construction of 2000-bed capacity ultra modern infectious disease centre in partnership with the NNPCL, expressing the hope that the facility would significantly strengthen Nigeria’s public health preparedness and response to infectious disease outbreaks.
Also inspected were the ongoing construction of a world-class Heart Transplant Centre at the Imo State University Teaching Hospital, in Orlu Local Government.
Other projects inspected were the ongoing expansion of the Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Convention Centre in Owerri into a modern facility with over 2,000-seating capacity, and the construction of a five-star hotel comprising more than 110 rooms by the state government.
Dare said: “These projects aligns with the mission and vision of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda through the implementation of different legacy projects across the State.
“When you talk about the micro of the Renewed Hope Agenda, such features are like this infrastructure and the human capital development we just saw in Orlu Local Government now a 2000-bed infectious disease center at almost 85% completion.
“We saw the oxygen plant, we saw the revitalisation of the healthcare centre that had been abandoned for several years and I think this is the kind of projects that are impactful to the people and that is what Renewed Hope is all about,” he said.
The team also inspected the ongoing construction of the strategic 19-kilometre Orlu–Akokwa–Uga Border Road, linking Imo and Anambra States.
The Presidential aide said that the project would address the devastating menace of gully erosion while providing a critical interstate transport corridor as well as improve connectivity, facilitate commerce and promote regional integration.
Dare also praised the state government’s decisive intervention in resolving the accreditation and certification challenges that previously prevented graduates of Imo medical schools from obtaining specialist recognition.
He also commended the ongoing construction of a world-class Heart Transplant Centre at the Imo State University Teaching Hospital, Orlu, which is expected to expand access to specialised cardiovascular care and reduce the need for Nigerians to seek advanced medical treatment abroad.
“The establishment of the Imo State University of Innovation, Science and Technology in Imuma is significant because of its focus on science, technology, engineering and innovation, which aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda of developing a knowledge-driven economy.”
Dare acknowledged that the projects inspected so far demonstrated the impact of the strong partnership between the Federal and Imo State Governments in delivering people-centred development.
“This will not have been possible without the increased FAAC allocation that comes monthly from the Federal Government to the state government providing extra fund for development projects.
“We have seen in a couple of other states in the North, how APC governors have been utilising these extra FAAC allocation funds for infrastructural development and we have seen how state and federal governments are working together in projects delivering,” he said.
Earlier, Mr Declan Emelumba, Imo State Commissioner for Information, Public Orientation and Strategy, commended the fact-finding efforts of the Presidential Media Team under the Renewed Hope Ambassadors’ National Media Tour.
Emelumba said that Imo would continue to prioritise people-oriented projects by aligning with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz