‘In Bola Tinubu, I Have Seen Another Lee Kuan Yew’ — Uzodimma Backs President, Predicts 2027 Re-Election

Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has compared President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, describing the President’s economic reforms as bold decisions capable of transforming Nigeria and securing him a second term in office in 2027.

Uzodimma made the remarks on Friday during a state dinner held at the Government House in Owerri to mark the conclusion of the three-day Renewed Hope Ambassadors National Media Tour and an inspection of major Federal and Imo State Government projects by members of the Presidential Communications Team and senior journalists.

The governor said President Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023, with a clear understanding of Nigeria’s economic challenges and moved quickly to implement reforms because he knew the scale of the task before him.

“In President Bola Tinubu, I have seen another Lee Kuan Yew,” Uzodimma said.

“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.”

Uzodimma acknowledged that the administration’s policies had caused hardship for many Nigerians in the short term, but argued that the decisions were unavoidable if the country was to escape years of economic stagnation.

Drawing a biblical analogy, he compared Nigeria’s pre-reform situation to the bondage of the Israelites in Egypt, saying difficult choices were often necessary before meaningful change could occur.

“Just as God delivered the Israelites through difficult circumstances, the President’s bold decisions were necessary to free Nigeria from years of economic stagnation,” he said.

The governor insisted that the reforms were already yielding results, particularly through increased revenues available to states for infrastructure and social investments.

Uzodimma said many of the projects currently being executed in Imo State were possible because of the fiscal space created by the Federal Government’s reforms.

According to him, the state is investing heavily in roads, healthcare, education and technology as part of a broader sustainable development strategy aligned with the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“Everything we are doing in Imo today is made possible because of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

“We are pursuing sustainable development, investing in infrastructure, healthcare, education and technology because the reforms have created the enabling environment for development,” he said.

The governor also expressed confidence that Nigerians would return President Tinubu to office in 2027 as the benefits of the reforms become more visible.

“The benefits of these policies will continue to become more evident, and Nigerians will reward the President with another term,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the visiting journalists, veteran journalist Dr. Soni Daniel said the inspection tour offered firsthand evidence of what he described as significant developmental strides across Imo State.

Daniel praised the administration’s investments in road construction, healthcare, education and digital technology, saying the projects reflected prudent use of public resources and had positioned Imo as one of the country’s leading states in infrastructure renewal.

Earlier, the Presidency also commended Governor Uzodimma for what it described as a remarkable infrastructure transformation following the inspection tour by more than 40 senior journalists and members of the Presidential Communications Team.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, said the projects inspected showed how increased allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), resulting from the Federal Government’s reforms, were being translated into tangible development.

He listed projects inspected during the tour to include the Imo Digital City, the 2,000-bed Infectious Disease Centre, the Heart Transplant Centre in Orlu, the University of Innovation, Science and Technology at Omuma, the expansion of the Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Convention Centre, and the Orlu–Akokwa–Uga Border Road.

Dare said the projects demonstrated strong collaboration between the Federal Government and Imo State and represented what he called people-centred development under the Renewed Hope Agenda.