Governor Hope Uzod­imma of Imo State at the weekend rose to the challenge of hard­ship recently made worse by the removal of fuel subsidy in the country, raising the minimum wage of workers in Imo State to N40,000 and rolling out multiple palliatives that will go a long way in alleviating the sufferings of the citizens.


The multiple palliatives include but not limited to en­hanced free transportation, feeding and medical care for workers, generous loans to gen­uine farmers, establishment of marketing and commodity boards, payment of gratuities to retirees, mass housing, re­cruitment of more teachers for primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, bursary and schol­arship for Imo State students, among others.

Oguwike Nwachuku, Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the Governor, in a statement on Saturday, stated that Governor Uzodimma un­veiled the package at a special meeting of critical stakeholders comprising religious leaders, politicians, farmers, traders, labour leaders, among others, which he convened at the Rock­view Hotel, Owerri.

The Governor said he knows that “because we are buying pet­rol now at the rate of N530 per litre as against the previous rate of N189, you may hardly believe it. But I know that faith and hope are recurring words in our ev­eryday lives.”

“Because you have hope and I know you also have faith in what we are doing, you will ultimately triumph. And I want you to be rest assured that this promise will come through. My dear brothers and sisters, you must believe me, when I tell you that I am truly touched by the reality on the ground. Yes, I am personally affected because whenever the nose weeps, the eyes join.”

Governor Uzodimma said he had “watched with keen interest how our people have been faring since the removal of the subsidy on fuel was announced,” noting, “I can tell you that I have been deeply worried by my observa­tions.”

The Governor said: “It is clear to me that our people are suffering, particularly the low-income earners and those in paid employment. I have therefore convened this special meeting with the leadership of Organised Labour, Traders, Farmers and Artisans, to an­nounce the comprehensive palli­ative measures we are putting in place, which I am sure will ease these sufferings, in addition to the measures expected from the federal government. I want you to know that I am with you in your travails. I share in your worries.”

He said he shared in their pains and anxieties, “but most importantly, I am here to tell you to worry less, to give you HOPE and to assure you that help is on the way. I want to let you into my plans for you. The plans that will alleviate the impact of the subsi­dy removal, stimulate the econ­omy, create additional jobs and enhance the wages of workers.”

The Governor added that the plans he was unveiling “are aimed at making life more mean­ingful for ordinary people in the face of the current economic challenges aggravated by not only the removal of subsidies on petroleum products but also the effect of global economic challenges,” adding, “Let me say, however, that although the im­pact of that policy appears harsh in the short-run, it will, in the long run, bring positive results.”

Governor Uzodimma’s pal­liatives are not limited to the raise in minimum wage of the least worker in Imo State, but all encompassing.

The Governor said: “There shall be an immediate upward review of the salaries and wages of workers in the state. The min­imum wage is hereby raised to forty thousand naira (N40,000), with discretionary consequen­tial adjustments.

“At least your salaries would be able not only to take you home, but to also provide your basic necessities to enable you to make ends meet.

“Apart from the free trans­port which the workers are al­ready enjoying, I shall increase the fleet of buses carrying work­ers to and from work with ten more new buses.

“This is to ensure every nook and cranny of the state capital is captured in the routes that the buses ply, to bring the ser­vice closest to the doorsteps of every worker.

“Also, each civil servant shall henceforth be entitled to a free meal every day, from the canteen at the state secretariat (meal Vouchers will be issued to workers).

“I have directed the Head of Service to work out the mo­dalities for implementation. Workers shall also receive free medical treatment in designated hospitals across the three sena­torial zones of the state.

“To beat down the prices of food in the market, Imo state marketing/commodity board will be resuscitated and expand­ed. Henceforth, the marketing/ commodity board shall be es­tablished in each of the 27 local government areas.

“These Commodity boards shall help to beat down food prices by serving as credible and competitive alternative markets for food items.

“Government will create and release immediately a revolving soft loan facility of Five Billion Naira to local farmers.

“The loan shall be granted to qualified farmers to stimulate production in the value chain. Farmers will also be encour­aged to form cooperatives to facilitate organized farming.

“In addition, we shall sup­port the farmers with tools and seedlings to boost their yield. It is expected that these measures and the expansion of commod­ity boards will generate 500,000 jobs in the value chain.

“A mass transit scheme shall also be established for members of the public. In that regard, Imo Transport Company shall be re­suscitated and reorganised for efficient service delivery and also act as a credible alternative of choice for transportation.

“In addition, we plan to es­tablish a light rail line that will transport people across the three senatorial districts of the state.

“There will be recruitment exercises for new teachers from primary to secondary and ter­tiary levels to boost employment and income generation, particu­larly among our graduates.

“The government has ap­proved bursaries for students in tertiary institutions. Students benefiting from this scheme must however produce evidence that both themselves and their Parents or Guardians are cap­tured in the Imo social register platform.

“A scholarship Board will be constituted immediately to ensure that indigent and vul­nerable indigenes are not forced out of school. The scholarship scheme will cover both second­ary and tertiary institutions.

“To this end, the govern­ment will avail full scholarship to Imo indigenes who excel in their West African School Cer­tificate examinations and those who perform very well in Joint Admission and Matriculation (JAMB) exams.”

The event which turned out to be an interactive one, saw speakers like the Anglican Archbishop of the Owerri Ec­clesiastical Province, Most Rev. David Onuoha, his counterpart from the Catholic Archdio­cese of Owerri, Most Rev. Lu­cius Ugorji (represented), the Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Imo State, Dr. Philip Nwansi and his col­leagues from the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), the Imo State Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Dr. Eches Divine Eches, among others, commending the gover­nor for taking the lead in provid­ing solutions to the sufferings of the people.