Vice President Kashim Shettima has applauded Imo State’s exceptional contributions to Nigeria’s political, intellectual, and economic development in the past five decades, describing the state as a critical partner in the nation’s progress.
He particularly lauded the state’s political leadership, intellectual contributions, talents in the creative industry, and strength in agriculture, particularly palm oil production,
saying the Southeastern state has consistently enriched Nigeria. Speaking on Saturday during the Golden Jubilee celebration of Imo State’s creation, Shettima extended President Bola Tinubu’s goodwill, assuring the state of its front-line seat at the national table.
According to Stanley Nkwocha, his spokesman, Shettima reserved special praise for Governor Hope Uzodimma, whom he described as a game-changing revolutionary in Imo’s modern political history, crediting him with restoring discipline, planning, and institutional strength to governance in the state. “Governor Uzodimma has distinguished himself as more than a custodian of the present.
He is a leader who understands that governance is not theatre, but duty. Under his watch, Imo has rediscovered the discipline of planning, the courage of reform, and the confidence to re-enter the national conversation as a state prepared for relevance,” he said.
Shettima traced Imo’s legacy of leadership from Dr Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe, whose “flamboyant command of language enriched Nigeria’s political memory,” to Sam Mbakwe, the celebrated Weeping Governor, and Senator Rochas Okorocha, whom he described as a pan-Nigerian archetype for his humanitarian work with orphaned children across the country.
He highlighted Imo’s intellectual and cultural influence, particularly through Chief Flora Nwapa, whom he described as “the mother of modern African literature”, who gave African women “a literary voice at a time when silence was expected of them.”
Shettima also celebrated the state’s contributions to Nollywood through actors such as Genevieve Nnaji, Rita Dominic, and Kanayo O. Kanayo, as well as music icon, Onyeka Onwenu, who “placed Nigerian sound on the world stage with grace and conviction.”
On economic development, the Vice President acknowledged Imo’s strengths in agriculture, particularly palm oil production at the historic Ada Palm Plantation, and its thriving commercial centres from Nkwo Orji to Orlu International Market.
