The Imo state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the one year Governor Hope Uzodinma has been on the helm of affairs in Imo State as a colossal failure.
In a statement signed by the PDP’s publicity secretary, Ogubundu Nwadike, the party said having made a holistic assessment of the first year of the governor’s administration, it concluded that it has been nothing short of a colossal and abysmal failure; the type that has not been witnessed in the annals of governance in Imo State.
“That is the product of the findings of the Strategic Committee of the PDP which reviewed all aspects of governance in Imo State in the last one year,” the party said in the statement.
According to the PDP, highlights of Uzodinma’s failure include;
* debasement of the pension system already restored by the Emeka Ihedioha administration,
* disruption of the civil service salaries and emoluments system leading to ongoing crises in salary payments;
* abandonment of the massive road construction already procured by the Ihedioha administration;
* abandonment of LGA autonomy procedures initiated by the Ihedioha administration which was already yielding numerous project simultaneously in all the 27 LGAS. This has led to the vanishing of LGA allocation for the last 12 months;
* the fleeing of all the multilateral agencies ( UNICEF, USAID, WHO, DFID, WORLD BANK, etc.) That returned to Imo State during the time of Governor Ihedioha;
* financial prudence, transparency, accountability and the elevation of rule of law in governance; these yielded the the introduction of the Treasury Single Account (TSA); return to lmo of all the multilateral development agencies of the World Bank and the UN System, award for the most most open government to Imo all during the short spell of the Ihedioha PDP government.
According to the PDP, all the highlighted indicators were signposts of leadership failure.
The party said the good governance structures put in place by Ihedioha have all vanished while Imo today is defined in news with shameful protests by retirees, nonpayment of salaries, Imo hospitals closed because doctors have been on perpetual strike, growing insecurity, Imo being officially pronounced as one with the highest unemployment rate, among other signs of decay.
CIVIL SERVICE
The party said between May 29, 2019 and January 14, 2020, when the PDP Rebuild Imo administration was in power, the Civil Service of Imo State recorded tremendous restoration and reform, the hallmark of which was the restoration of 100% of due salaries and pensions of Imo workers and pensioners.
“The Ihedioha administration had inherited a dispirited civil service, which saw workers earning 70% of their due salaries. Pensioners were getting 40% of their due pensions. But upon his inauguration as Imo governor on May 29, 2019, the salaries and pensions were restored to 100%.
“Sadly, within Uzodinma’s first 100 days in office, complaints of non-payment of salaries and pensions became rife among the workers and pensioners. That was to be followed by under-payment, and staggered payment, as encapsulated in the 4-points that were adduced as the grievances of the Organized Labour in Imo State in their 14-Day ultimatum which they issued to Governor Uzodinma in the month of October 2020. By the end of the administration’s first year in office on January 14, 2021, it was noted that the civil service had suffered significant disorganization and disorientation. That is a mark of failure for the Uzodinma administration,” the party said.
ROADS
The PDP said when the PDP Rebuild Imo administration assumed office, the roads in Imo State were in very sorry state.
“At the end of the rains in November 2019, massive construction of roads was witnessed across Imo State, with contractors mobilized to 25 major roads, totalling over 100 kilometers. That was in addition to the over 50 roads, totalling 380 kilometers of rural roads, that were under construction , in the World Bank assisted Rural Access and Mobility Project (RAMP 2). In all, about 500 kilometers of roads were simultaneously under construction in the State under Ihedioha.
“Sadly, within the first 100 days in office of the Governor Uzodinma administration, he ordered the disengagement of the entire contractors, bringing work on the roads to an abrupt end. That was a huge disservice to the people of Imo State, as the hope of getting good roads within 2020 was dashed, causing the sufferings of the people on the bad roads to continue. Consequently, all through its first year in office, the Governor Uzodinma administration scored near zero in road construction,” the PDP said.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
The PDP said by June 2019, the PDP Rebuild Imo administration of Ihedioha had set the framework for the restoration of the Local Government Areas (LGAs).
“The then Governor Emeka Ihedioha announced the granting of autonomy to the local government system in the State, thereby fulfilling one of his cardinal electioneering promises. He promptly set up Interim Management Committees (IMC) for the 27 LGAs.
“The IMC swung into action and a geometric increase was recorded in the economic activities of the rural areas. That was as the LGAs resolved that each LGA should construct a mini-stadium and an administrative secretariat. It was agreed that each LGA should construct 100 sets of 5-seater coupled with classroom desks and seats, totalling 2,700 units, capable of seating 13,500 school children across the State.
“The 27 LGAs also agreed to procure heavy-duty road construction equipment and machinery to drive the project of keeping roads in the rural areas in good condition all round the year. The first batch of the equipment and machinery just arrived Owerri, at the time the PDP Rebuild Imo administration was ousted from office. Remarkably, the local government system was restored, with life and living in the rural areas coming alive again after nearly a decade of neglect and decadence of the local government areas.
“Conversely, within his first 100 days in office, Governor Uzodinma, having sent packing the IMC put in place by the PDP Rebuild Imo administration, Uzodinma did not put a replacement in place. He became the Sole Administrator for the 27 LGAs. The autonomy that was being enjoyed by the local government system was abrogated and suspended by Governor Uzodinma. Construction of the 27 mini-stadia and 27 administrative secretariats were abandoned. Economic activities of the rural areas dwindled, and hardship returned to the people. That is a huge discredit for Governor Uzodinma in his first year in office,” the PDP said.
HEALTH
According to the PDP, the healthcare delivery system of Imo State returned to a low quality shortly after Governor Uzodinma assumed office.
“That must not be unconnected with the neglect of the healthcare facilities in the primary healthcare centres across the State. A couple of efforts by the governor to enhance healthcare delivery became a play to the gallery as fairly used buses were procured and marked ‘Ambulance’. They were donated to the LGAs. That ‘Ambulance’ project was to be followed by a 10-unit buses marked ‘Mobile Clinic.’ They were to serve in the delivery of healthcare in the State. But challenges such as the bad roads and lack of basic equipment and medications in the State healthcare facilities negated the main purpose of procuring the ‘27 Ambulances’ and ‘10 Mobile Clinics.’ To that extent, Uzodinma score poorly in healthcare delivery. In fact, it was severally reported that the death rate in the State increased rapidly during Governor Uzodinma’s first year in office,” the PDP said.
The PDP recalled that when Ihedioha assumed office on May 29, 2019, restoring the health sector was a cardinal electioneering campaign for him.
“It was not a surprise, therefore, that immediately after his inauguration on May 29, 2019, he directed that all the primary health centres in the State be appropriately furnished and equipped. He approved the employment of about 54 medical doctors for the State. The process of employing the doctors was ongoing before the Ihedioha administration was ousted. Comparatively, therefore, while the Uzodinma administration performed poorly in its first year in office, the Ihedioha administration performed well in its seven and half months in office, restoring and reorganizing the health sector,” the PDP said.
The party added that the way and manner, Governor Uzodinma managed the Covid-19 pandemic left much to be desired.
“That was in spite of the huge amount of money that the State raised and received as intervention fund for the Covid-19 pandemic in the State. It is such that there was shortage of oxygen along the lines. It was a statement of lack of confidence, when the Chairman of the Imo State Committee on Covid-19, Prof. Maurice Iwu, publicly decried the lack of transparency and accountability in the entire Covid-19 pandemic programme in the State.
“Generally, Governor Uzodinma’s performance in the health sector in the entire 2020, that culminated in his first year in office on January 14, 2021, was far below average,” the PDP said.
EDUCATION
The PDP administration of Ihedioha, according to the PDP, impacted positively on the education sector in the State.
“ While the process had been set up for the employment of about 5000 teaching and non-teaching staff into the school system through the Imo State Universal Basic Education Board (IMSUBEB) and the Secondary Education Management Board (SEMB), the training and retraining of teachers was restored. Meanwhile, foundations were laid for four technical buildings in four technical colleges in the State. The teaching of Igbo Language was made compulsory in the State. The Technology Development Ministry trained hundreds of students on proficiency in the Computer Based Test (CBT) for the 2019/2020 University Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). The Ihedioha administration did a lot to improve the delivery of qualitative education in the State, in fulfillment of his electioneering campaign promises.
“On the other hand, all through Governor Uzodinma’s first year in office, the education sector faced setbacks of neglect and abandonment. Hiding behind the façade of the inhibitions by the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, Governor Uzodinma refused to pay teachers on the reason that during the lockdown, the teachers did not teach. The planned employment of 5000 teaching and non-teaching staff was jettisoned by Governor Uzodinma. Education in the state was in a decrepit condition at the time the administration clocked one year in office,” the PDP said.
PUBLIC UTILITIES
According to the PDP, water supply was restored by the Ihedioha administration in the month of September 2019, with taps in some homes in Owerri Municipal dripping water again after over eight years of drought.
“The administration made effort to rekindle strained relationships with international agencies like the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other relevant bodies to ensure the restoration of public water supply. It was a similar success story for the enablement of communities and public buildings, like the State Civil Service Secretariat, that had been cut off from the national grid were reconnected.
“It was, therefore, an unfortunate drama when upon assuming office, Governor Uzodinma went public and announced that he had restored water supply, which according to him had not been functioning since 1996! Such dishonest and insincere utterances characterized his administration in its first year in office,” the party said.
ENVIRONMENT
The PDP recalled that as at May 29, 2019, the air over Owerri, the capital of Imo State, was most offensive, owing to the presence of a lot of heaps of waste and refuse that littered the nooks and crannies of the city.
“The bloackage of gutters and drainages worsened the bad situation. To ameliorate it, Governor Ihedioha’s administration approved the clearing of the heaps of waste and refuse, while directing that all gutters, drainages and flood channels be desilted to enable deflooding of the city and ensuring the safety of the people from airborne diseases.
“In his turn, during his first year in office, Governor Uzodinma watched the return of the heaps of waste and refuse, with its attendant offensive odour that continually held the atmosphere hostage. There were big squabbling between agents of the administration as the Commissioner for Environment remained at loggerheads with the General Manager of Imo State Environmental Transformation Commission (ENTRACO), while the citizens strove to contend and contain the dangers posed by the grossly fouled environment. Governor Uzodinma scored poorly in the environment sector,” the PDP said.
SECURITY
For the PDP, it is sad to note that the ugly incidents of kidnapping manifested and increased again during Governor Uzodinma’s first year in office.
“Also, there were increases in incidents of various shades of crimes and anti-social conducts. Safety and security of lives and property were not certain. The unlawful practice of “jungle justice” was increasingly recoursed to by the citizens as the number of cases of stealing went on the rise.
“That was a far cry from the programme for safety and security of lives and property during the PDP RebuildImo administration. With its “Operation Iron Gate”, the yuletide period of 2019 went down as the most peaceful in the recent years in the State. Top profile criminals were arrested and paraded by the security agencies. Unfortunately, all of those were lost within Governor Uzodinma’s first year in office.
“Indeed, there are many aspects of governance delivery in which the Governor Uzodinma administration didn’t perform well. They cannot be exhaustively discussed here for obvious reason of limited space. But it must suffice that it was a very poor first year in office for Governor Hope Uzodimma,” the PDP said.