AMBROSE NWAOGWUGWU
In what many stakeholders have described as a first of its kind in the history of the Imo State Universal Basic Education Board (IMSUBEB), Arc. Mrs. Amaka Mgbobu-Onu on Friday turned a routine town hall meeting in Okigwe into a sweeping grassroots enlightenment session that laid bare, in clear and measurable terms, the educational footprint of Governor Hope Uzodimma across Okigwe Federal Constituency and the entire Okigwe Senatorial Zone.
The event was formally flagged off by the Imo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Sir Ebere Macdonald Kelechi, PhD, alongside prominent political leaders, party executives, and stakeholders from across the zone. Their presence underscored the political weight and institutional support behind the engagement, which many described as both timely and instructive.
Speaking on behalf of the Governor, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma, Arc. Onu, a board member of IMSUBEB representing Okigwe Zone, welcomed community leaders, educators, political stakeholders, traditional rulers, women groups, youth leaders, and party faithful to the engagement, describing it as a deliberate effort to take governance out of official offices and return it to the people.
She reminded the audience that Okigwe Senatorial Zone, made up of Okigwe, Onuimo, Isiala Mbano, Ehime Mbano, Ihitte Uboma, and Obowo Local Government Areas, occupies a strategic place in the Shared Prosperity Administration of Governor Uzodimma.
According to her, the decision to begin the town hall series from Okigwe North was symbolic, practical, and personal, noting with a smile that charity, as they say, begins at home, while assuring that Okigwe South would be next.
What clearly set the event apart was the depth, clarity, and confidence with which Arc. Onu reeled out the achievements of IMSUBEB under Governor Uzodimma, linking policy to projects and projects to communities.
She outlined the board’s mandate of delivering free, compulsory, and quality basic education and went further to show how this mandate is being translated into classrooms, teachers, and learning materials across Okigwe Zone.
From new classroom blocks with offices, libraries, ICT halls, first aid rooms, and modern conveniences to extensive renovation works across primary and secondary schools in the zone, the IMSUBEB board member named beneficiary schools one after another, community by community. For many in attendance, it was the first time a government official provided such a detailed, location-specific account of projects executed in their names.
She also highlighted the completion of the Imo Smart School at Ohekelem, Ngor Okpala, describing it as a world-class facility designed to redefine basic education in the state.
She noted that insecurity had slowed implementation in some areas but stressed that, despite those challenges, the board had performed creditably due to the steady backing of the Governor.
Perhaps most impactful was her disclosure on human capital development. Arc. Onu announced the recruitment of 6,045 teachers and 223 non-tutorial staff statewide, with 1,353 teachers and 37 non-tutorial staff allocated to Okigwe Zone alone.
She broke the figures down to each local government, drawing applause from beneficiaries and community leaders who confirmed that employment letters were already on the way.
She further revealed that in the first quarter of 2026, IMSUBEB would distribute e-learning tablets, textbooks, charts, novels, and other instructional materials to all six local governments in Okigwe Zone, a move she said would strengthen digital learning and classroom effectiveness.
Beyond official duties, Arc. Onu took an uncommon step that drew admiration across party lines. From her personal income, she procured food items and distributed them as Christmas and New Year palliatives to indigent constituents across the three LGAs of Okigwe North Federal Constituency.
She emphasized that the gesture was non-partisan, cutting across churches, traditional institutions, political parties, and community groups.
Observers noted that this blend of public accountability, policy explanation, and personal sacrifice marked a new approach to governance communication at the board level.
Many described it as a challenge to other appointees to step beyond paperwork and engage directly with the people whose lives government policies are meant to improve.
By the time the event ended, the message was clear. Governor Hope Uzodimma’s investments in education are real, visible, and spread across communities, and there are officials within his administration willing to take those achievements to the grassroots, explain them plainly, and complement them with personal acts of compassion.
Arc. Mrs. Amaka Mgbobu Onu did not merely speak about governance. She practiced it in full view of her people.