100 days in office: Uzodinma, Imo govt rated low

Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, has been rated by a cross-section of citizens as he clocks 100 days in office.

Uzodinma, a former Senator, was sworn-in on January 15, 2020, after his victory at the Supreme Court.

On Friday, the Centre for Digital Information and Communication Management (CDCM), gave a report on a survey on Imo government’s performance since inception.

A statement by CDCMI Director, Prof. Vincent Abara, said the survey covered Local Government Areas in Owerri, Okigwe and Orlu zones.

The report noted that 62 percent of the respondents are youths aged 18-35, while older adults and aged people from the remaining 38 per cent.

“On Acceptability, 78 percent believe that one of challenges the Governor faces is winning the people’s heart and assuring them that he was duly elected.

“On Transparency, 59 percent ticked that the governance of the state “was shrouded in secrecy”. They advised the administration to be more open in his dealings.

“On Stakeholders’ Engagement, the half of the respondents opined that the government has not done much in keeping in touch with various stakeholders.

“Due Process deals with the conducting of affairs according to laid down principles and procedures. On this, the respondents demanded regular publication of expenditure.

“On Health, 30 percent expressed worry about the infrastructure. They called for quicker emergency response as well as more investment in the public health workforce, information systems and public health laboratories.

“On Local Government Administration, 52 percent of the respondents observed that councils have been moribund in recent months. They want governance at the grassroots to be visible”, it read.

CDCM further revealed that the people complained about the non-payment of workers’ salaries, pensioners and environmental conditions.

“Imolites urged the state government and officials to show tenacity in service delivery”, the report added.