Governor of Imo State, Southeast Nigeria, Hope Uzodinma has assured the people of the state that 2024 will usher in a glorious dawn.
Gatekeepers News reports that Uzodinma gave the assurance in his New Year broadcast delivered at his Omuma country home, near Owerri, on Monday.
He congratulated the people for surviving 2023, “in spite of the excruciating challenges that we faced.”
“I must admit that the year 2023 was a very challenging year in which many Nigerians battled for survival.
“As your governor, I shared these pains, and I did the much I could to help alleviate the challenges,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the reforms being implemented by President Bola Tinubu to restructure the economy were the right steps.
Mr Uzodinma said: “Like most reforms, the initial pains are inevitable. The good news is that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
“As they say, the darkest hour heralds a glorious dawn. So it is with the pains that came with these needful reforms.
“I am very confident that the promised glorious dawn is close enough.
“Thus, I appeal to the good people of Imo State to be patient because the year 2024 will surely herald that glorious dawn, and I am confident that the pains of 2023 will begin to wane in 2024,” he added.
He described 2023 as a “remarkable” year for his administration, following his victory at the 11 November election in the state.
“Through the mercy of God, the election was not only peaceful, but you returned me to the office with a landslide victory that cut across the 27 local government areas in the state,” he stated.
“The greatest thank you I can offer to the people of Imo State is to continue to run an efficient and transparent administration with equity and justice as its banner.
“Working harder in the coming years, exceeding my previous efforts, will no doubt justify that confidence,” he said.
The governor said the march towards the actualisation of that vision had started with the 2024 budget, which he recently signed into law.
“The practical interpretation of the budget is that if we built 20 roads in 2023, we are going to build 40 in 2024.
“If we empowered 2,000 youths in 2023, 4,000 youths should take their turn in 2024.”
