It is no longer news that Imo people are facing rough and tough times. But we are still resilient as a people and enterprising as individuals. All our people need to survive and excel is a responsible government that will once more lay a solid framework for people to be productive. A new governor come 2019, must do all it takes to re energize and renew all the magic Mbakwe did in the old Imo.

Mbakwe with little allocations and smart finance borrowing built at least one industry or empowerment project in every local government in the present and old Imo state. These have been left by successive governments to collapse. They include Paper and Packaging industry at Owerr-Ebeiri, Sacks Hercules Motorcycle Plant at Naze, Paint and Resin Industry at Aboh Mbaise, Concorde Hotel Owerri, Aluminum Extrusion Industry at Inyishi Ikeduru, IMO Power Plant at Amaraku, Ceramics and Tiles Industry at Nsu Ehime, Ezinnachi Clay Industry at Okigwe, IMO Modern Poultry at Avutu Obowu etc.

There were also government encouraged industrialists who successfully established viably projects including the Anagharas, the Maduakos, the Osondus, etc. These businesses were operating at full installed capacity and there were hardly unemployed people in our state.

Successive governments’ bad policies, absent of decent infrastructures, terrible incentives, highhandedness, public corruption etc all made all these projects collapse completely and all became ghost projects. The result include massive dependence on government for jobs and economic growth, heavy insecurity occasioned by unemployment, dwindled government revenues and resultant over dependence on federal allocations.

Imagine if a new government partners with international funding agencies and collaborates with the private sector leaders to turn all these back to life and also establish new ones. Who says a focused, intelligent and smart Governor can’t do these and more? We can do it. We should do it. We will do it. It’s not about Orlu, Okigwe or Owerri. It’s about Imo. It’s about a great and productive Governor. It’s about seeing IMO as one state which should be developed generally and resources distributed evenly.

I’m from IMO state. We will get Imo working again. God bless and keep us all.

My name is Ike C. Ibe