An aspirant to the Imo State governorship seat in the 2019 elections, Chidi Okoro, says he possesses a superior blueprint and strategy that will deliver sustainable, inclusive and diversified development in the state.
Okoro, who officially declares his intention to vie for the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) at the party’s state office, Egbu Road, Owerri today, said, “Imo State is due for a turnaround and there are few people who are better prepared for the job than himself.”
In an interview with BusinessDay ahead of his official declaration, Okoro said we built an alternative reality for Imo State it was time for Imo to arise to its true potential, promising to bring about a complete turnaround in various sectors of the state including healthcare, education, security, job creation, public utilities, hospitality, agriculture, among others.
“Imo is a wonderful state, one of the best placed states in Nigeria; we can play to that potential. We have high intellects; we are very close to major industrial-commercial cities. Imo is one-hour flight away from Lagos and Abuja. We have very good literacy rate. We have good penetration of telecom/internet services, meaning that we can play technology to our full advantage,” he said.
“Our plan is to lay the foundation for people in Diaspora and at home to really get Imo to arise to its true potential. Our plans are firm, they are very simple, they are time-bound, and we put numbers to these plans, meaning that we can be held accountable. So, as we get into this race, we have well-informed plans with deliverables and timelines that Imo people can touch and feel.
“Let us work to enable Imo arise to its true potential. Imo will truly arise when we create 500,000 jobs over four years through manufacturing clusters, investments in hospitality and entertainment, sports, medical city, urban renewal projects, ICT innovation hub, and so on. I am ready, let me do the work to lift Imo to greatness!” he said.
Okoro, a successful private sector business manager, trained as a pharmacist at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and holds MBA from University of Lagos and Executive Masters Degree in Positive Leadership and Strategy from IE Business School, Madrid, Spain.
A man with a passion for excellence, he has had outstanding experience spanning various industry sectors such as consumer, pharmaceutical, healthcare and telecommunication. He has held senior management positions in Promasidor, MTN, Reckitt Benckiser and Emzor Pharmaceutical and has served as managing director, Africa, Suntory Beverages; managing director/CEO, GlaxoSmithKline Nigeria, and, most recently, managing director/CEO, UAC Foods Limited.
