In the history of Nigerian politics, few governors embody the alchemy of leadership quite like Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State. Since assuming office in January 2020, Uzodimma has not merely governed; he has transmuted the challenges of a resource-constrained eastern Heartland into opportunities for exponential growth. This transformative prowess evokes the ancient myth of King Midas, whose touch turned all to gold.
Midas has become a metaphor for an uncanny ability to generate success from every endeavour. And that is what Uzodimma has done in Imo. Uzodimma's “Midas Touch” is no fable but a tangible force that is evident in the roads that now foster commerce, the hospitals that heal without hindrance, and the youth empowered to code their futures.
Uzodimma is pushing Imo toward a $1 trillion economy with achievements that illuminate a governance model that is rooted in pragmatism, inclusivity, and unrelenting project execution.
He demonstrated that he is a man with the Midas touch at the Imo Economic Summit between December 4 and 5, 2025 in Owerri where he assembled an array of influential internationally-acclaimed political and business leaders, including the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote; former President of Afreximbank, Prof. Okey Oramah; former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Mr Boris Johnson; former Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon; Prime Minister Americo Ramos of Sao Tome and Principe, President Amina Akim of Mauritius, and President Joseph Boakai of Liberia to market an Imo that is now open for investment.
Pulling the Summit through was a success story that defined Uzodimma’s appeal to purposeful leadership through which he has been consistent in pushing the lever of development of the state to strategically reposition Imo and bring it to be the shining state of the east and a practical reflection of what true and intentional leadership can do to the fortunes of a state. It's unlike Imo where leaders of the pre-Uzodimma era had come to office unprepared and without blueprints purposefully designed to deliver transformational results.
Uzodimma, as the National Ambassador for Renewed Hope, will be a catalyst to ensuring the impact of the President Bola Tinubu administration is positively felt across the country.
Uzodimma's early career in business, particularly in logistics and real estate, honed his acumen for turning vision into value. Those skills now prove vital in his management of Imo and driving it towards a development narrative that rivals only those of Chief Sam Mbakwe, the first executive governor of Imo state.
Like Mbakwe, Uzodimma inherited a state that was bugged down by debt, insecurity, infrastructural decay and mindless looting that was orchestrated by a familiocracy. He, however, did not let those discourage him. Rather, he moved in like a man on a mission and envisioned a new Imo that would become the pride of all Imolites. His inaugural address was a clarion call for accountability as he immediately halted payments on ongoing contracts and demanded financial audits from 2010.
That showed him the true picture of the state he inherited. It was an unbelievable report. But as a man of vision that he is, he believed that Imo could be pulled up from the morass of decay. He vowed to restore Imo's dignity. Today, the difference is clear!
His promise to rebuild Imo was not mere rhetoric. It was a mission statement backed by vision and a roadmap. With this, he unveiled his Shared Prosperity Agenda, which turned out to be a blueprint for equitable growth that would soon reveal his Midas touch.
At the heart of Uzodimma's transformation lies infrastructure, the sinews of economic vitality. Upon taking office, Imo was a patchwork of potholed roads and isolated communities, stifling trade and tourism. Uzodimma, drawing from his transport business expertise, launched an audacious road revolution campaign. By 2025, his administration had constructed or rehabilitated over 1000 kilometres of roads.
This surpasses what his predecessors did both in scope and speed. The 52km Owerri-Mbaise-Umuahia Road, a federal highway adopted and completed by the state, exemplifies this prowess. Traversing multiple local government areas, it has slashed travel times, ignited roadside markets, and boosted cross-border commerce with Abia State.
“This road is not mere asphalt,” Uzodimma declared during its commissioning, “it is a corridor of opportunity, where farmers haul harvests and entrepreneurs ferry dreams,” he added. Before this, Uzodimma has expressed his vision on the forgotten Owerri-Okigwe expressway, the Owerri-Orlu highway and now the Owerri-Aba and Owerri-Port Harcourt and the Orlu-Mgbee-Akokwa-Uga expressway that connects Imo state to Anambra. These federal roads are strategic to the economy of Imo state. His focus on rebuilding them, and using them to express his love for top quality jobs, underscores him commitment to regenerating the economy of Imo and driving it towards his $1Trillion dream.
On Urban renewal, Uzodimma’s touch can only be Midas as he has transformed Owerri, Imo's capital city, which was once plagued by flooding and traffic congestion. It now gleams with rebuilt city roads, effective drainage systems, flyovers, streetlights, and green belts under the "Light Up Imo" initiative, with solar-powered lamps illuminating every nook and reducing crime while extending business hours. With that, Uzodimma has reinvigorated Owerri’s night economy, and the traders are happier for it.
Also, his focus on expanding Imo’s economy has seen action on the Orashi River dredging project. With the geographic survey complete and dredging for maritime access to the Atlantic ongoing, Uzodimma is fast repositioning Imo as a logistics hub. This is supported by his untiring focus on the Orashi Electricity Project, which is now set to power Imo state, taking electricity to all local government areas of the state. These not only open Imo for investments, but they also create opportunities for jobs, which is important in arresting the attention of youths and redirecting their energies towards money-earning ventures.
The aviation sector in Imo has also felt the Uzodimma Midas touch with the upgrade of the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, which has now made night operations possible. The provision of night and bad-weather landing facilities is a boost to international airlines, which is also an intentional move to turn Owerri into a southeast gateway. Besides, Uzodimma's golden touch in revitalising Imo’s economy has seen him show more than a passing interest in upscaling the state’s vast gas reserves, which are the highest in Africa. His government has fast-tracked exploration of the reserves, which has attracted multinational bids and is constructing Nigeria’s largest gas station. Also, unemployment, which was a scourge at the time Uzodimma arrived at Douglas House, Owerri, has dropped significantly through the SkillUp Imo Initiative, which has empowered over 50,000 youths with digital skills ranging from Artificial Intelligence to coding.
Uzodimma’s governance in Imo has drawn foreign direct investments, stabilised markets, and birthed a burgeoning middle class. They are proof of Uzodimma's wizardry in economics. No less golden is Uzodimma's imprint on human capital, including health and education, which are the twin pillars of enduring prosperity. He inherited a healthcare sector that was in disarray, but now boasts of Imo State Health Insurance Agency (IMSHIA), which skyrocketed enrolment from 0% to 3.4% of the population across tailored programmes as well as managing 381,394 cases under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund with 35-40% monthly utilisation. IMSHIA earned Uzodimma the 2025 Leadership Award for Excellence in Health Insurance.
Education, too, gleams under his stewardship. Addressing inherited decay, Uzodimma refurbished schools, recruited teachers, and integrated digital curricula. The SkillUp programme's ripple extends here, equipping students with AI proficiency. In December 2024, the Federal University of Technology Owerri bestowed upon him an Honorary Doctorate in Management for bolstering tertiary institutions. These strides have elevated Imo's literacy rates and STEM enrolment, forging a generation primed for the knowledge economy.
Security, which is the bedrock of progress, was Uzodimma's first battleground. Imo, once a no-go zone riddled with kidnappings and unrest, now basks in relative peace. Through community policing, youth engagement, and federal collaborations, crime plummeted 70% by 2023. This made President Bola Tinubu say at Uzodimma's 2024 inauguration that, “Before now, people feared Imo; today, it is safe and open for business.”
Nothing speaks to Governor Uzodimma’s governance prowess and development acumen than his appointment by President Tinubu as the ‘Renewed Hope Ambassador.’ The appointment is, to a very large extent, a presidential endorsement of Uzodimma’s giant strides in the development of Imo. It speaks to his foresights and economic wizardry, much in the same way like his 2021 The Sun Governor of the Year award, the 2023 Face of Democracy Most Prolific Governor, and the 2022 UN Peace Award for inter-ethnic harmony. These are aside the ICAN's fiscal transparency award on him by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).
Uzodimma's ‘Midas Touch’ is no accident but a confluence of vision, grit, and empathy. Unlike the mythical king's curse, where gold starved the soul, Uzodimma's gold nourishes. It ensures that the roads feed markets, skills birth jobs, and health mends bodies. For a country grappling with inequality, Uzodimma’s model of a people-oriented, digitally savvy, fiscally prudent government offers a blueprint and positions him as the alchemist-in-chief in the drive for a trillion-dollar economy. From Uzodimma, we learn significant leadership lessons –that selfless and God-fearing leadership turns swamps into cities and deserts into green fields. His quiet disposition defines him as a strategist who would rather spend time developing and designing solutions.
Uzodimma is well on the march to become Imo state's most impactful governor since 1982, ensuring that prosperity is shared, not hoarded. In him, Imolites see not a king sitting on a golden throne but a steward restoring hope to weary souls. The Midas touch, in Uzodimma's hands, is Nigeria's promise realised. It is the Midas where every citizen, touched by Uzodimma’s governance, forgets the past and luxuriates in the future.
Acho Ihim, PhD
Former Speaker, Imo State House of Assembly
