Uzodimma Tackle critics over 4000 diaspora jobs pledge

Imo Governor, Hope Uzodinma has restated his determination to cushion the plight of women and youths through sustainable empowerment programmes that would not only assist them become economically self-reliant but also creators of wealth and employment.

Uzodinma stated this on Tuesday through his Special Adviser on (Networking) Chantel Adanna Chinyere Onwuzuruike while reacting to the backlash on social media following his promise to relocate 4,000 Imo youths to Europe in guise of making them wealth creators.

He noted that the promise to send a total of 4,000 to Europe and Canada, countries where those digital skills are prominently required is realisable drawing inference from the previous promises made to Imo youths and Imolites in general and fulfilled.

The governor said that the promise to empower Imo youths with smartphones to over 2,700 youths at a programme where three youths were gifted with brand new vehicles through a public open ballot as well as the promise to send 1,000 Christians to Jerusalem for pilgrimage with all-expense paid alongside a gift of 500 dollars has been fulfilled by his government.

According to him, the promise for empowerment of 15,000 Imolites with cash grant of N250,000, has been fulfilled too even when critics doubted it earlier.

He said: “When I made promised to give digital tools,brand new laptops,etc to the first 5,000 graduated students known as cohort 1 from the Ministry of Digital Economy and E-government , my critics doubted it but when the 5,000 people received their laptops, my critics became dumbfounded , now I have again promise to send 4,000 imolites with digital skills to Europe and Canada where those digital skills are required and it will be fulfilled”.

He disclosed that Cohort 2 of the Ministry of Digital Economy had engaged a total of 15,000 with HP Pent 10 which amounts to N20,000.

He said: “This varies and when you multiply it by N15,000, you will get real figure. It is meant to equip Imolites on Digital skills but the rabib critics of the state government misunderstood it. I am not somebody who plays to the gallery and I challenge the critics to tell Imolites which past governors of the state that had done this before”.

The governor disclosed that by next year all public schools in the State would commence smart school with fat salaries for those with skills.

He noted that currently, people with digital skills are in great need in the more advanced nations of the world following the disastrous impact of the deadly Covid-19 which dealt a devastating blow to many countries.

He said: “In USA, government spends a lot to buy medical doctors who are specialist in their fields of specialisation, the aim is for people to come to them and obtain medical attention, and by so doing, you pay heavily to them”.

“‘Aside this, Universities abroad seek lecturers from such institutions as the Imo State University because they know that we have qualified hands”.

Uzodinma who backed his clarification with video clips of confessions of beneficiaries of the governor’s Empowerment programs where they lauded him for his lofty vision which had liberated them from their shackles of poverty and destitution.

While urging Imolites to ignore “false prophets in sheep’s clothing and those crying wolf where there is none”, Uzodinma said that he had never and would never renege on his promises to make life more meaningful for youths in the State, stressing that the promise of sending some qualified indigenes of the state on pilgrimage, issuance of smart China phones had all been completed “which even emboldened other Sates to borrow a leaf from this”.