- Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma does not use a security vote
- Uzodimma believes that governors should be given more leeway in dealing with security challenges at the subnational level
- Uzodimma stated that the people of the Southeast deserve federal government assistance to enable them to go about their daily lives and businesses
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma has stated that he does not use a security vote.
He spoke on the issue on Thursday, following a meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja to seek an appointment for Southeast leaders and Ohanaeze Ndigbo regarding the region’s insecurity.
Uzodimma, on the other hand, requested that state governors be given more leeway in dealing with security challenges at the subnational level within the federal structure.
He also stated that because of the country’s federal structure, governors are not free to choose or reject security measures decided by the federal government.
When asked to justify his security vote if the state could not handle the matter, he said:
Security vote, I am not against it, but I don’t operate it in Imo State. Again, you should find out from my parliament, I don’t operate it in Imo State but I still think that governors should be given a headroom, governors should be allowed a window to have funds they can use to manage security issues.
As I speak to you, we are not addressing the problem of insecurity in Imo State through kinetic means alone, we have adopted both kinetic and non-kinetic approach. We also procure intelligence that will help security agencies function effectively and efficiently. So, all these are intangible aspects of security control measures. It is then important that governors who have been elected, sworn-in to manage the resources and the mandate of the people be given latitude to operate so that they’ll be able to provide results.
On the reason for his visit to the villa, he stated that the people of the Southeast, like other regions, deserved federal government assistance to enable them to go about their daily lives and businesses.
He did not, however, elaborate on what the Southeast leaders would expect from Tinubu at the meeting.
Uzodimma claimed that non-state actors used fear, indiscriminate killings, and brigandage to impose an illegal sit-in in the region on certain days.
According to him, the problem has also evolved into a “perception management” issue.
He also stated that international diplomacy, which is an important component of the solution, is outside the purview of state governors.
When asked about the claim by former Nigeria Delta militant Asari Dokubo that his men were assisting the federal government in combating insecurity in the Southeast, Uzodimma said he was unaware of such a claim and could not identify ‘Dokubo’s men.
In response to the flooding that has ravaged the Southeast, the governor stated that a recent hydrographic survey indicated that the enormous cost of resolving the situation may be beyond the capabilities of state governments.
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