The president Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday gave his approval for the use of cutting-edge surveillance technology to combat crime and insecurity in Imo and other southeastern states.
Hope Uzodimma, the governor of Imo State, revealed this to State House reporters following a private meeting with the president at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja.
Buhari’s approval, according to Uzodimma, would pave the way for the use of cutting-edge surveillance technology to combat insecurity without causing collateral damage.
He stated that the South-East would soon receive the tools.
“I also appealed to him for further support, to help us with some technological deployments we have planned to be able to use as an advanced kind of security control in the South-East. And he has also given his approval to that.
“And in a moment from now, we will be getting some surveillance equipment and some modern technologies that will help us manage security so that we can fight crime with little or no collateral damage to the environment,” the governor explained.
Uzodimma also noted that he was on a thank-you visit to the President for previous requests he had granted, including the conversion of the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri to a university teaching hospital for the Federal University of Technology, Owerri and the conversion of Alvan Ikoku College of Education to a federal college of education.
He said, “I also thank him for the various supports he gave to us during this period of security challenges and the support he’s also given to us in terms of the various approvals.
The approval to convert the Federal Medical Centre Owerri to a University Teaching Hospital for the Federal University of Technology, the approval that converted Alvan Ikoku College of Education to a federal college of education.
“Only two weeks ago, the Igbo indigenes that came home from Lagos and outside the South-East enjoyed the benefit of the Second Niger Bridge. It is something that is worthy of commendation.”
Citing reduced crime rate and other infrastructural projects in his state, Uzodimma said his government was looking forward to a better year.
“Going forward, I know 2023 will be better than 2022. And the level of development we witnessed from 2020 to 2022 will be improved upon.
“My people have seen a lot of thing. If you go to the South-East, in Imo State for instance, we got approval of Mr. President, that has now enabled the government of Imo State partnering the Nigerian Navy to dredge Oguta River to Orashi River to the sea, that is opening up that maritime route.
“Then with a Naval Base there, we can now manage pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft, and all forms of criminality that besieged that area for a very long time. And crime has gone down tremendously, since the Naval Base was established.
So, I think we have hope for a better Nigeria. The road that we just completed that was inaugurated by Mr president, the Owerri-Orlu dualised expressway, Mr President has approved that the Imo State Government be refunded,” he said.