· Imo State Governor Seeks Partnership with Church as Primate, Others visit
Governor Hope Uzodinma has reiterated that he is committed to run an inclusive government where party, zone, tribe or religion will not stop him from engaging anyone that will add value to his government.
The Governor, who on Thursday received the Primate-Elect of the Anglican Church of Nigeria, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba at the Government House, Owerri, expressed his resolve to restore the dignity of the state through good and purposeful leadership. They spoke as Archbishop Ndukuba pledged the support of the Anglican Church to him through constant prayers
Uzodinma said: “Imo is in total state of disrepair. The morale and confidence of our people is low. As a government, we will restore our institutions that are almost comatose. Imo will bounce back to life under my watch.”
While promising that he will change the ugly narrative of the state, Governor Uzodinma called on the Church to continue to offer prayers and advice to government so that the current hardship that has bedeviled the people can be tackled for light to come in.
On the current security challenges facing the nation, Governor Uzodinma advocated stronger traditional institution to help curb the menace of insecurity in the land. He noted that the Security Agencies will be more effective when they work closely with traditional rulers and town unions, promising that traditional and religious institutions in the state will be strengthened under his watch.
The governor assured Archbishop Ndukuba, who is an indigene of the state of the support of his government and called for partnership of the Church in the development of the education sector in Imo.
“We shall partner with you to improve our education system. Arrangements will be made to engage some of our priests on part-time basis to teach in our schools. This will help to instill morality and bring back discipline to our schools.”
Earlier, in his speech, Archbishop Ndukuba thanked the Governor for receiving them on a short notice and assured him of their continuous prayers and support.
The Primate-Elect who doubles as the Archbishop of Jos Province and Bishop of Gombe Diocese stated that “Imo state is endowed with abundant capital and human resources, but has suffered due to bad leadership.”
He called on the governor to open his doors even to his political opponents, “The task is enormous and you cannot do it alone. Open your heart to receive everybody, even those that do not belong to your party. We will continue to pray for you and hope that Imo will be better under your watch,” the cleric said.
The Primate-Elect was accompanied by the Anglican Bishop of Orlu Diocese, Rt. Rev. E.C. Okeke, Bishop of Owerri Diocese, Rt. Rev. Chukwuma Opara and other high-ranking clergymen of the Anglican Communion.