By Dr. Emma Amaefule.
A generation can experience progress only when they come to understood where they are coming from, where they are at the moment and where they are going to. Imo State is 49 years of age today after the creation in 1976. In any given dispensation of government leadership in Imo State within the past 49 years, there comes a governor and his team of selected men and women who serve in various levels of government across the State, with a mandate to chart a new course to enhance the development of the State.
Indeed, these selected men and women according to God’s time and chance for them, are believed to be the best among the people hence they are assigned to function in various offices in the government such as Special Advisers, Commissioners, Director Generals, LGA chairmen, Councilors, Board members, Members of Imo State House of Assembly, Members Federal House of Representative, Senators among others. The primary objectives of these selected or elected men and women in various offices of government are to contribute in the development of Imo State and to ensure effective representation of the people and her government.
Thank God for the sixteen (16) different leaders who have governorned the State within this period of 49 years as the executive governors of Imo State either as a military or civilian governor. They have all contributed their best quotas with their team to see that Imo State move forward yet the good people of Imo State are still thirsty to encounter real sustainable development.
Again, the neglect of technology in the development of Imo State within the past 49 years have caused more harm than good, making the State to be crawling in different areas which includes, industrialization, ICT, massive job creation, Health management, entrepreneurship, capacity building, innovations, diversified economic development among others. No doubt, the ignorance of the beauty of technology for the development of Imo State have continued to challenge the efforts of our past leaders, past governments and the present leadership of government in the State ; with evidences of poor productivity, unemployment, irregular payment of pensioners and workers salaries, waste of human resources and natural resources, poor Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), low standard of living etc. Indeed, the use of analogous or manual approaches in doing things even in agriculture is a limitation to efficiency, productivity and meaningful industrial development.
However, today technology remains the solution to overcome the cataclysms and other negative inclinations that hinders the development of Imo State. Emphatically, for effective economic growth and the building for better Imo State, technology and industrialization are the road map. Again, technology is very important because it solves all kinds of problems. It positively affects business operations, saves time and efforts. It also enhances results and the security of a government and organization. It helps to improve communication, increase capacity of business as well as improve efficiency and delivers unlimited supply of knowledge. Truly, we can not deny the fact that many technological developments and innovations play a major role in our lives. Hence obviously, more great things will happen in Imo State when we identify and acknowledge the significant of technology in State development such as digitalization of land administration and digital local government administration.
Interestingly, for the first time in 49 years there come the introduction of the ministry of technology development, ministry of Digital Economy, skill – up Imo youth project, University of Technology, Science and Innovations as well as the plan to restore steady power supply in Imo State by the executive governor Sen. Hope Uzodinma. This is a step in the right direction. Now, there is expectation that the desired development in Imo State will soon emerge. Again, the introduction of technology into Imo State pension and workers salary payments through E – payment has boasted the economy of the State and eliminate all elements of fraud in the system. More of these applications of technology will help to cause a revolution that is capable to give Imo State the desired sustainable development.
To this end, the imperative of building for better Imo State and Imo industrial development is now a yearning of all in Imo State, especially the youths who have equipped themselves with good skills in Engineering, Computer management, CCTV, Artificial intelligence, Entrepreneur’s etc. Also, the recent beneficiaries of the Skill Up Imo program that are now trained and empowered with professional technological knowledge as well as quality Laptops are hope to be the incubators that is believed to hatch innovations and technology emancipation in very sectors of the economy in Imo State and beyond. Hence , urged the Imo youths including those that have acquired skills to make good use of the emerging opportunities available before them through technology and shun armed robbery, civil unrest, illegal jobs, cyber scam, hooliganism, kidnapping, prostitution, drug trafficking among others as a means for survival. But rather try to identify our local contents and apply the suitable technology to harness it. No doubt, this will cause rapid development across the State with evidence of massive employment, human capacity development, quality health care, enhanced productivity, improved economy and healthy living for all in Imo State. No doubt, no matter the obstacle God will take us to the pinnacle.
