Uzodimma promises stronger Church partnership to tackle insecurity

Hope Uzodimma of Imo, on Thursday, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to collaborate with the church to end criminal activities and sustain recent peace gains in the state.

Uzodimma spoke at a meeting with a delegation of Christian clerics from the Okigwe Senatorial Zone at the Government House, Owerri.

He described the church as the “moral conscience of society,” saying that its proximity to the masses made it an indispensable partner in governance and development.

“There is no government that can thrive successfully without the full cooperation of the church,” he said.

The governor praised the clerics for their unified front against the “drastic demons called insecurity,” which had previously besieged the state for over six years.

According to him, the state is successfully combining kinetic and non-kinetic strategies to ensure that kidnapping and banditry permanently become things of the past.

He also credited President Bola Tinubu for approving landmark infrastructure projects in the state, including the Federal Medical Center and the Okigwe electrical substation.

Our correspondent reports that the clerics, numbering over 200, came from the Catholic, Anglican and Methodist denominations in the zone.

Speaking for the delegation, Rev. Fr. Peter Ohaeri, lauded the State Government’s visible infrastructure improvements, saying that the governor’s projects “speak for themselves.”

Ohaeri said that Uzodimma’s infrastructure development was visible transformation under the 3Rs agenda of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, and Recovery.

He particularly lauded the governor for supporting the reconstruction and roofing of the Catholic Diocese of Okigwe, as well as his contributions during the 25th Episcopal Anniversary celebration of Bishop Solomon Amatu.

He also commended the governor for facilitating the Okigwe 63MVA Electrical Substation project and facilitating the Federal Government’s approval for the Federal University of Okigwe, which had been listed on the JAMB portal.

However, Ohaeri urged Uzodimma to deploy more security apparatus to Okigwe zone, citing the recent gruesome murder of an 81-year-old father of a Catholic priest.

The cleric promised continuous spiritual backing for the administration, adding, “the only thing we can give to you is to continue to the governor for you”