Governor Hope Uzodimma has challenged monarchs in Imo State to do everything within their behest to safeguard their domain and protect their subjects against any form of criminality.
At a meeting the Governor held with all the traditional rulers from the 27 local government areas of Imo State at the weekend, he reminded them of their responsibility to protect their communities and their subjects as “not only custodians of cultures and tradition but as well, Chief Security Officers of their various communities.”
Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the Governor, Oguwike Nwachuku, said in a release on Friday that the meeting with the traditional rulers was held at the Eze Imo Palace at Mbari Owerri Imo State.
Governor Uzodimma thanked the monarchs for their contributions so far towards peace, security and development in Imo State and regretted that in the process of their efforts for a better Imo society they have suffered humiliations and even deaths.
He therefore promised that government will continue to work with them in the task ahead “so that together the menace and distractions of bandits and unknown gunmen will be a thing of the past.”
The Governor reminded them that the security challenges in Imo State is not a child’s play though not peculiar to Imo State alone. “It affects almost all the States of the Federation and as such cannot be treated with kids cloves.”
The Governor reiterated that he has come to serve the people and to repair all the sectors that were rotten and damaged by past administrations in the areas of politics, civil service, education, health, roads, water supply among others.
He informed the monarchs that the rot in Imo State is nauseating, citing example of how government has been paying the salary to 6,500 secondary school teachers salaries every month whereas in the bio-data exercise carried out on July 7, 2022 government was only able to record 3,000 secondary school teachers.
He bemoaned that the situation is regrettable “where people are still fraudulent and collecting salary that does not belong to them.”
Governor Uzodimma reminded the traditional rulers that his administration has recently awarded contracts of five kilometers per Local Government and that two kilometers of the 5km has been given out to contractors with advanced payments made.
To realize the project, the Governor urged the traditional rulers to supervise and monitor the construction of the roads in their areas and at the same time, confirm to government on their completion before final payments are made to the contractors.
He also said the monarchs will be held responsible if they go ahead to approve payments when jobs are either shabily done, not completed or done at all.
Governor Uzodimma explained that Imo State government has spent over N100 billion on road infrastructure in the past two years of his administration which even his government does not have in its account.
However, the Governor emphasized that this is made possible because the Government in Imo State and that at the National are of the same Party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Most importantly, he said, is his relationship with President Muhammadu Buhari who he said has given him the guarantee to do the roads.
Governor Uzodimma encouraged the traditional rulers to warn their subjects, especially the politicians, not to kill or fight anybody on his behalf for the purpose of winning a second term election, saying “second term is predicated on performance.”
He reiterated his call on criminals and bandits to drop their arms and come forward to receive pardon and amnesty from his government.
Governor Uzodimma said his government is ready to protect all communities; all Local Government Areas and Imo State against any form of insecurity, noting that his government plans to do so by funding the local vigilante and the Ebube Agu to work in collaboration with the security agencies in Imo State.
He then urged Imo people to go about their normal businesses without fear of harassments or molestations.
Responding on behalf of the monarchs, the Chairman Imo State Council of Traditional Ruler, His Royal Majesty, Eze (Dr.) Emmanuel Okeke, thanked the Governor for findng time to address them and promised to work in tandem with his government to flush out the criminals in Imo Communities.
In addition to security, Eze Okeke said that the traditional rulers have been engaging the INEC in stepping up Voter Registration exercises in the Communities to enable Imo people secure their PVCs before the 2023 election.