Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has described President Bola Tinubu as “Nigeria’s Lee Kuan Yew,” saying the President’s economic reforms are already reshaping the country and positioning it for long-term development.
Uzodimma made the comparison on Saturday night at a state dinner in Owerri, which rounded off a three-day national media tour of federal and Imo State projects by the Renewed Hope Ambassadors and the Presidential Communications Team.
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The dinner brought together journalists, government officials, and stakeholders to assess the impact of Tinubu’s agenda three years into the administration.
Speaking at the event, the governor said Tinubu came into office on May 29, 2023, with a clear blueprint to confront Nigeria’s structural economic problems head-on.
“In President Bola Tinubu, we have another Lee Kuan Yew,” Uzodimma said, referring to the founding Prime Minister of Singapore who transformed the city-state through decisive reforms.
“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,” he added.
—From “bondage” to reform—
Drawing a biblical parallel, Uzodimma likened Nigeria’s pre-2023 economy to the Israelites in Egypt, arguing that painful but necessary decisions were required to break decades of stagnation.
He admitted the reforms have caused short-term hardship for citizens, but insisted they are already yielding results, particularly in increased revenues to states.
“Everything we are doing in Imo today is made possible because of the Renewed Hope Agenda. We are investing in infrastructure, healthcare, education and technology because the reforms have created the enabling environment for development,” the governor said.
He expressed confidence that Nigerians would reward Tinubu with a second term in 2027 as the benefits of the reforms become more visible.
—Projects point to federal-state collaboration—
Earlier, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, said the projects inspected during the tour were evidence of what stronger federal-state collaboration and improved FAAC allocations can deliver.
The tour covered the Imo Digital City, a 2,000-bed Infectious Disease Centre, a Heart Transplant Centre, the University of Innovation, Science and Technology, and the Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Convention Centre.
Veteran journalist Dr. Soni Daniel, who spoke on behalf of the visiting media team, commended the Imo government for its investments in infrastructure, healthcare, education and digital technology.
Uzodimma said the Lee Kuan Yew model — tough reforms, discipline, and long-term planning — was the template Nigeria needed to move from consumption to production.
According to a statement by the Director of Media and Publicity of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, Tunde Rahman, the governor urged Nigerians to stay the course, saying the foundation being laid now will determine the country’s trajectory for the next generation.
