In the heart of southeastern Nigeria lies Imo State, a land of vibrant culture, industrious people, and immense potential. Yet today, Imo is not truly governed. It is managed from afar, merely waved at from airport tarmacs, and occasionally visited like a distant relative. The man elected to lead, Governor Hope Uzodimma, has become a ghost in his own house, more often seen bidding farewell to the president in Abuja than addressing the cries of his constituents.
He is, quite literally, a visiting governor.
When he does grace the state with his presence, it is not to heal or build, but to unleash chaos. His latest creation, the Environmental Transformation Commission (ENTRACO), was supposedly established to ensure cleanliness and order. Instead, it has morphed into a uniformed militia of thugs and miscreants, armed by politicians and sanctioned to terrorize the very citizens they claim to serve.
Recent months have been marred by ENTRACO’s violent and reckless activities. A tragic incident in early September 2025 saw the death of a motorist pursued by ENTRACO operatives, whose vehicle fatally collided with a truck branded with Indomie Noodles colors. This incident prompted widespread protests by Naze youths in Owerri, demanding justice and accountability. Despite the outcry, ENTRACO often distances itself from enforcement actions, blaming other state agencies like the Ministry of Transport, which only further muddies accountability.
The anguish of Owerri residents is palpable. ENTRACO agents regularly impound vehicles without just cause, deflate tires, and demand cash “bounties” for their release. Journalists and business owners report rampant harassment, intimidation, and extortion, with vehicles held hostage pending arbitrary fines. Major roads like Okigwe Road and Wetheral have effectively become toll-like zones where keke and bus drivers are routinely stopped and fleeced. Victims are dragged to ENTRACO’s offices, facing protracted delays and compounding financial demands.
The consequences are dire: businesses are shuttering; entrepreneurs are fleeing. The state has become hostile to commerce, and with every closed shop, poverty deepens. Hospitality businesses, in particular, face complex challenges from multiple demand notices, including overlapping requirements for payments for fumigation allegedly contracted by ENTRACO and other agencies, creating confusion and compounded financial pressure on operators.
Politicians thrive in this vacuum, offering crumbs to the desperate while consolidating power in the shadows. Governor Uzodimma’s absence is not just physical; it is moral, economic, and spiritual. Though ENTRACO remains under new leadership with Engr. Nzewodo Franklin Nkemakolam appointed General Manager in 2025, the Commission’s reputation for harsh enforcement and extortion continues to haunt residents and businesses.
Imo State deserves better. We deserve a leader who walks the streets, listens to our pain, and builds with us, not one who waves from Abuja and weaponizes thuggery. We deserve policies that empower, not extort. We deserve a government that protects, not preys.
Because hope should never be hopeless.