Amby Uneze in Owerri
Governor of Imo State, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha has expressed his readiness to partner the Department of International Development (DFID), of the United Kingdom, to reactivate the development of the state.
The governor disclosed this when he received a delegation from the department led by Regional Coordinator for South-east and South-south, Ms. OC Ronnie at the Government House in Owerri, yesterday.
The delegation was in the state to identify priority areas for partnership.
While seeking the assistance and cooperation of the department, the governor enumerated the challenges facing the state, including; perennial flooding, poor power supply, decayed healthcare infrastructure and lack of partnership and technical support from international agencies.
“Our state is completely devastated. We have challenges in the area of infrastructure, acute flooding challenge. We are seeking the assistance of experts to assist us find solutions to these issues. Even our local government areas were left moribund for the past eight years.
“I can assure you that our hands are open for partnership to assist us reactivate and rebuild the state to give hope again to our people. We want to take back our state and it will interest you to note that our people are prepared to invest in our state. Already there is huge traffic here, but that has to be met by high level infrastructure”.
Speaking earlier, Ronnie, described Imo State as a strategic state in the country, which at the moment is in dire need of urgent intervention in almost all the sectors, adding that, “the department is looking at engaging in the areas of provision of technical assistance, infrastructure and other key areas”.
She assured the cooperation of the department towards realising the programmes of the administration.
She informed that most of the programmes are already contained in the governor’s manifesto and decried a situation where her organisation had made efforts to engage the Imo State government since 2016, noting that the past administration never took advantage of their interventions.
In company of Regional Coordinator was Ifeyinwa Chukwudi, State Team leader Perl ECP, Edward Nnake, Reform Facilitator Perl ECP
