West African Security group lauds Imo govt’s holiday safety efforts

BY CHINYERE ANYANWU

A West African security group has commended the Imo State government for its efforts in ensuring a peaceful and safe holiday season.
In an open letter to Governor Hope Uzodimma, the West African Action Network on Small Arms (WAANSA) lauded the governor’s prioritisation of security and investments in support of security agencies. WAANSA said these measures paid off, allowing many Imo indigenes living abroad to return home safely for the holidays this past December.
The letter stated that more than was the case in the previous three years, Imo indigenes across the globe notably returned home this year to visit family and friends as part of the long-standing annual pilgrimage to their Homeland under a more secure atmosphere.
WAANSA accredited this largely positive outcome to the priority Governor Uzodimma has placed on security as a governing concern. The organisation highlighted the government’s substantial investments made in support of security agencies and agents in Imo, which demonstrably paid dividends during the recent holiday period in enabling safer conditions for traveling residents.
Moreover, WAANSA praised the governor’s foresight in boldly establishing the Ministry of Homeland Security and Vigilante Affairs, and appointing a civilian commissioner in Dr. Ugorji Okechukwu Ugorji with pertinent academic and professional experience suited to the emerging domain of homeland security.
The letter signed by Igwe Martin Nnamdi on behalf of WAANSA, specially acknowledged the “phenomenal foundational work of Dr. Ugorji as the pioneering commissioner of this crucial ministry.”
Nnamdi said, “by most accounts, Ugorji rapidly structured a competent ministry from the ground up and rendered it among Imo’s most professional and visible agencies.
“Imolites and the civil servants who worked closely with Dr. Ugorji witnessed a values-centric approach to public administration.”
In closing, WAANSA urged Governor Uzodimma to “persist in prioritising citizen security and safety as an essential basis for economic prosperity plans in his second gubernatorial term.” The organisation signaled openness to lending their expertise on peace and security matters toward the continued successes of the governor and Ministry of Homeland Security in providing for the wellbeing of Imo State residents.