Good governance is not always loud. Sometimes, it works best in silence.
Governor Hope Uzodinma may not have the most likeable personality or the loudest megaphone, but if you take a closer look, you will see his fingerprints on real structural shifts happening across Imo.
If sustained, this model could make Imo the economic anchor of the South-East, a model of tech-driven, infrastructure-led, energy-secure, security-conscious development.
I am not asking anyone to suspend criticism. I am simply saying: look deeper. Judge not only by perception but by evidence.
Reality, quietly, is overtaking the noise.
In recent months, debates around governance in Imo State have often been overshadowed by political noise and online commentary. However, a closer, evidence-based look reveals that several quiet but strategic developments are reshaping critical sectors of the state’s economy, including energy, technology, infrastructure, and security.
These developments, many of which are already at various stages of implementation, may not always make headline news, but they are gradually laying the foundation for Imo’s long-term economic and structural transformation.
- Technology and Human Capital Development
Imo has made a significant push to establish itself as a digital innovation hub in the South-East. The state government entered into a formal partnership with US Market Access Center (USMAC), a Silicon Valley–based accelerator, to support tech startups and innovation in the region. This partnership underpins the development of the much-touted Imo Digital City, a purpose-built technology ecosystem that includes smart classrooms, innovation labs, co-working hubs, and startup incubation facilities.
This bold move, backed by collaborations with Microsoft, Zinox Technologies, Cisco Systems, Konga Group, and the European Union Digital SME Alliance, is remarkable.
These are not empty MOUs; they are active bridges linking Imo’s youth to global innovation networks. For a state in the South-East to be positioning itself this way is nothing short of visionary.
This was further reinforced by the successful hosting of the 2025 AI & Robotics Summit in Owerri, an event that signaled a more serious approach to digital transformation and positioned Imo as an emerging player in Nigeria’s tech landscape.
Complementing this is the Skill-Up Imo Programme, launched in 2023, which is reported to have trained over 50,000 young people in key digital skills including coding, data analytics, cybersecurity, and robotics. Many graduates have already transitioned into employment or started their own ventures, with a target of creating over 300,000 digital jobs in the medium term.
- Energy and Gas Development
One of the most impactful yet underreported developments is the strategic energy expansion plan of the state.
A 5 million standard cubic feet (5 MMSCF) Mother Station for Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is scheduled to become operational in Assa, Ohaji/Egbema, within the next 10 months.
Five additional companies are currently in advanced negotiations to provide gas feedstock and delivery solutions that will support both CNG and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) demand across the state.
The state has secured sufficient feedstock from ANOH Gas Processing Company, ensuring stable domestic gas supply to power industries, transport fleets, and residential energy use.
These energy developments are designed to reduce the cost of power generation for businesses, support small and medium-scale industries, and accelerate industrialization.
- Clarifying Gas Pipeline Misconceptions
Recently, false claims circulated online alleging that a Nigeria–Europe gas pipeline is “near completion.” This has been confirmed to be inaccurate.
The Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, first conceptualized in the 1970s, remains in the feasibility and planning phase.
The Nigeria–Morocco Gas Pipeline, first proposed in 2016, is still undergoing pre-investment processes. It has no Final Investment Decision (FID) and is unlikely to be completed before 2049.
Both projects long predate the current administration in Imo and have no direct bearing on Governor Uzodinma’s ongoing energy projects, which are localized and practical in scope.
- Electricity and Industrial Power Supply
For decades, power has been a national problem, but here’s what many don’t realize: the Orashi Power Project could change Imo’s story.
Through a strategic MoU with Orashi Electricity Company Ltd., the state is setting up a 380 MW electricity generation and distribution framework covering all 27 LGAs.
Governor Uzodinma is pursuing an electricity strategy aimed at delivering reliable power supply through the Orashi corridor and related infrastructure projects. When combined with the state’s gas initiatives, this could significantly lower energy costs for businesses and households.
- Infrastructure: Roads and Urban Management
Road rehabilitation and dualization projects are already completed or underway on several key routes, including:
Owerri–Orlu (37 km)
Owerri–Okigwe (55 km)
Owerri–Umuahia (60 km)
Owerri–Omarelu (35.4 km)
Owerri–Mgbidi (I learnt is also slated for rehabilitation)
Many of these projects are being executed by Craneburg Construction. Additionally, several inner-city and zonal arterial roads have been rehabilitated, improving mobility, reducing travel time, and creating better logistics flow for businesses and road users in general.
For the first time in years, Owerri’s inner-city roads are cleaner, neater, and more accessible.
On urban renewal, balloon-technology drainage systems have been introduced to address perennial flooding in Owerri. While not yet perfect, these drainage networks are reducing the impact of seasonal floods and improving environmental management in the city.
- Security and Trade Logistics
The commissioning of the Nigerian Navy’s Oguta Naval Base in 2021 marked an important step in securing Imo’s inland waterways and oil and gas assets. This naval presence is tied to the state’s vision of dredging the Orashi River to create an inland trade corridor, reducing pressure on the road network and enabling safer, more efficient movement of goods.
Insecurity once dominated the headlines daily. But quietly, a layered response seems to have been built. No security system is perfect, but the difference today is visible and measurable.
- Health and Social Welfare
Through Imo State Health Insurance Agency, the state has expanded access to health insurance, receiving national recognition in 2025 for coverage initiatives. Vulnerable groups are benefitting from subsidized health services across the 27 LGAs.
On welfare, Imo made headlines in early October when it approved and began implementing a ₦104,000 minimum wage for civil servants. This wage adjustment is expected to stimulate household consumption and provide economic relief for workers amid nationwide inflationary pressures.
- Tourism and Hospitality
Imo’s tourism sector received a major boost when the state entered into a partnership with Hilton Hotels & Resorts to manage the historic Concorde Hotel Owerri, now rebranded as Imo Concorde Hilton.
The plan is to transform the facility into a MICE hub, Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions, positioning Owerri as a business tourism destination in the South-East.
- Fiscal Justice: Pay Where You Operate
For years, oil companies have taken from Imo but paid their taxes in Lagos. Uzodinma has drawn a red line: this must end.
If this fiscal domiciliation policy is fully enforced, tens of billions of naira that used to leave Imo every year will stay in the state, building hospitals, schools, roads, and other critical infrastructure.
- Broader Implications
When viewed collectively, these developments indicate a governance approach focused less on political drama and more on foundational economic restructuring:
Building digital and energy infrastructure to support long-term growth.
Using gas and power as economic enablers.
Opening new trade corridors via waterways.
Expanding health and welfare programs.
Modernizing tourism and hospitality.
Using improved road infrastructure and steady power to defuse insecurity.
Many of these projects are still ongoing and will require public support, close monitoring, accountability, and maintenance. But their scale and direction are real, commendable, remarkable, and verifiable.
Public scrutiny remains essential. But equally important is recognizing verified progress when it occurs. Imo’s unfolding transformation may yet redefine the state’s role as an economic anchor in the South-East.
Something is quietly unfolding in Imo State. While many are busy debating politics, gossiping about power, or trading blame on social media, a different kind of leadership seems to be at work, quiet, strategic, and deliberate.
Governor Hope Uzodinma, often misunderstood for his calm, understated governance style, appears to have chosen a path that is not built on noise or headlines, but on substance.
This is not the usual performance politics. It is the painstaking, brick-by-brick re-engineering of a state that has long been weighed down by political drama and economic inertia. I have taken time over and above all the noise, to look closely, to observe, to follow the threads, and what I’m realising, many may not have fully noticed yet.
Beneath the loud criticisms, quiet work is obviously being done.
✅ Fact-Checked
Written and researched by:
Chima “Oblong” Nnadi-Oforgu
Duruebube Uzii na Abosi
OBLONG MEDIA UNLIMITED 
Leave a comment