Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo has described President Bola Tinubu as Nigeria’s Lee Kuan Yew, praising his economic reforms and expressing confidence that Nigerians would re-elect him in 2027.
Lee is globally recognized as the founding father of modern Singapore, spearheading its transformation from an impoverished British colonial outpost and resource-deficient port into a wealthy, highly industrialized global economic powerhouse.
Uzodimma spoke at a state dinner in Owerri marking the end of the three-day Renewed Hope Ambassadors/Presidential Communications Team National Media Tour of Federal and Imo State Government projects.
This is contained in a statement issued by the Director of Media and Publicity, Renewed Hope Ambassadors, Mr Tunde Rahman, on Saturday.
“In President Bola Tinubu, we have another Lee Kuan Yew,” the governor declared, describing the President’s reforms as bold and transformative.
He said Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023, fully prepared to confront Nigeria’s economic challenges through far-reaching reforms.
“The old order is gone and there is now a new order. President Tinubu knew exactly what he came to do. He started implementing the reforms immediately because he understood the task before him.”
The governor compared Nigeria’s pre-reform economic situation to the biblical bondage of the Israelites in Egypt, saying difficult but necessary decisions were required to free the country from years of economic stagnation.
He acknowledged the short-term hardship caused by the reforms but said they were already yielding results through increased revenues available to states for infrastructure and human capital development.
“Everything we are doing in Imo today is made possible because of the Renewed Hope Agenda. We are investing in infrastructure, healthcare, education and technology because the reforms have created the enabling environment for development.”
Uzodimma expressed confidence that Nigerians would reward Tinubu with a second term in 2027 as the benefits of the reforms become more evident.
Speaking on behalf of the visiting journalists, veteran journalist, Dr Soni Daniel, commended the governor for what he described as remarkable strides in infrastructure, healthcare, education and digital technology.
Daniel said the inspection tour provided firsthand evidence of prudent use of public resources and positioned Imo among Nigeria’s leading states in infrastructure and economic transformation.
Earlier, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, praised Uzodimma for the state’s infrastructure transformation and effective implementation of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Dare said projects inspected, including the Imo Digital City, the 2,000-bed Infectious Disease Centre, the Heart Transplant Centre, the University of Innovation, Science and Technology, the Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Convention Centre, reflected the benefits of strong Federal-State collaboration and increased FAAC allocations. _(NAN)_