...Hope Uzodinma's Road Revolution and the Imperative of Honest Memory
By Barr. Kingsley Ononuju (Ekwedashike)
This piece was inspired by a video I recently watched on Facebook. In it, a concerned Imo citizen lamented the deteriorating condition of the Umuguma Road and appealed to Governor Hope Uzodinma to intervene. A few days later, I came across another video by the same individual, this time expressing appreciation that contractors had been mobilized to site and work had commenced.
To me, the significance of those two videos went beyond the road itself. They reinforced something many have come to acknowledge about the present administration—that Governor Hope Uzodinma listens. He may not satisfy everyone at the same time, but there is a visible willingness to respond to genuine concerns raised by the people.
It also reminded me why public commentary must be guided by facts rather than political convenience.
I have never subscribed to the business of praise-singing. Those who know me understand that I have never hesitated to criticize where criticism is deserved. By the same token, I believe it is dishonest to ignore visible achievements simply because of political differences. Good governance deserves acknowledgment just as poor governance deserves criticism.
That is why I ask:
Have we forgotten so soon?
Have we forgotten what the Owerri–Okigwe Road, particularly the notorious Ekemele axis, represented before Senator Hope Uzodinma assumed office? That stretch had become synonymous with suffering. It was a death trap where motorists counted losses instead of kilometres, businesses suffered enormous setbacks, and countless commuters dreaded every journey.
Have we forgotten the deplorable state of the Owerri–Orlu Road? Entire sections had collapsed, turning what should have been a short journey into hours of frustration.
Have we forgotten the condition of the Owerri–Umuahia Road through the Mbaise axis? Residents and travellers endured years of hardship on one of the state's most important routes.
Today, those roads tell a different story. They have been reconstructed, rehabilitated and restored to service. Whatever one's political leaning may be, those improvements are visible to every road user.
The intervention did not end with those major highways.
The Owerri–Onitsha Road, originally constructed during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo and which had begun to deteriorate over the years, also received the much-needed rehabilitation that has restored confidence to motorists using that strategic corridor.
Within the capital city, the story is much the same.
Residents of Federal Housing Estate, Egbu, and the Dick Tiger Road/Trans-Egbu axis remain living witnesses. For years, they lived with roads that had become almost impassable. At one point, residents were reportedly told that the only solution would involve demolishing a significant number of houses. Governor Hope Uzodinma's administration proved otherwise. Through proper engineering solutions, the roads were reconstructed, drainage issues addressed, and residents kept their homes. What had remained unresolved for years was achieved within his first year in office.
Who remembers the old MCC Road?
Who remembers Chukwuma Nwoha Road by MCC leading towards Imo State University, where stagnant floodwater and massive potholes made life miserable for motorists?
Chukwma Nwoha/Dick Tiger Before Uzodinma
Today, many people drive through those roads without remembering what they once looked like.
Chukwma Nwoha/Dick Tiger when Uzodinma Stepped in
The same can be said of the road behind Assumpta Cathedral stretching towards Emmanuel College and numerous other inner roads that have benefited from sustained government attention.
The story is by no means limited to Owerri Municipal. Across the state, many communities have experienced the impact of Governor Hope Uzodinma's road construction and rehabilitation programme. In Ideato Nation, the dreaded erosion gullies that had long threatened lives, homes and critical road infrastructure have received significant intervention, while adjoining roads have been reconstructed and restored. In Mbaitoli, work has equally commenced on the Nwaorieubi–Ukwu Orji Road, a vital route that had remained abandoned since 2011. These are only a few examples among numerous ongoing projects that continue to redefine infrastructure across Imo State.
One of the most remarkable infrastructural landmarks of the Uzodinma administration is undoubtedly the completion and commissioning of the modern vehicular flyover at the Assumpta Junction, linking the Onitsha Road and Port Harcourt Road. Today, it stands as one of the defining symbols of the changing landscape of Owerri.
Equally important is what Governor Uzodinma's approach says about governance itself.
For years, the Onitsha Road–Akwakuma–Orji flyover remained abandoned following a change in administration, becoming another example of how discontinuity in governance can waste public resources and delay projects intended to benefit the people. Rather than embracing the culture of abandoning inherited projects, Governor Hope Uzodinma has demonstrated a commitment to continuity and has initiated efforts to address that long-neglected corridor.
That philosophy extends beyond roads.
The Imo International Conference Centre (IICC), which had deteriorated to the point where many considered it a disaster waiting to happen, has been comprehensively rebuilt and restored to functionality. Likewise, several public buildings that had been constructed with taxpayers' money but left unused for years have been brought back to life. Facilities such as the ICAPS buildings and other previously neglected government assets have been repurposed, ensuring that investments made with public funds are no longer left to waste.
This is an important principle of governance. Public projects do not belong to the administration that initiated them; they belong to the people. Any government that preserves, completes and repurposes public assets demonstrates respect not only for public funds but also for the citizens who paid for them.
No administration is perfect, and Governor Hope Uzodinma's administration is no exception. There are still challenges to address. There are still roads to construct, communities to reach and expectations to meet. Citizens should continue to speak out whenever genuine concerns arise, just as that concerned citizen did regarding the Umuguma Road.
What is encouraging is that the response demonstrated that government is listening.
As citizens, our duty is neither blind praise nor blind condemnation. Our responsibility is to speak honestly—to criticize where government falls short and to commend where it performs well. That is the only form of public engagement that strengthens democracy.
Anyone who has genuinely lived in Imo State over the past sixteen years and is prepared to be honest, regardless of political affiliation, will readily acknowledge that the state has witnessed significant infrastructural transformation under Governor Hope Uzodinma, particularly in road construction, urban renewal, project completion and the restoration of abandoned public assets.
History will ultimately judge every administration.
But history also has little regard for selective memory.
The roads are there.
The flyover at Assumpta is there.
The restored public buildings are there.
The repurposed government assets are there.
And for those willing to judge fairly, they tell a story that cannot simply be wished away.
There is still much work to be done. Years of infrastructural deficit cannot be erased overnight, and no honest observer would pretend that every challenge has been resolved. Yet what is equally evident is that Governor Hope Uzodinma has not taken his foot off the pedal. Even in the latter years of his administration, he continues to commission projects, mobilize contractors to new sites and respond to the concerns of the people with the same urgency that marked the early days of his tenure. That sustained momentum speaks to a determination to serve Ndi Imo and to give practical expression to his administration's 3R Agenda—Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Recovery.
I am confident that this commitment would be maintained until the very last day of his tenure and history will undoubtedly record that his administration did not merely promise transformation; it worked consistently towards achieving it.
Good governance deserves honest criticism when it fails and honest acknowledgment when it succeeds. That is the standard by which every administration should be judged.
