President Bola Tinubu has appointed Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, as “Renewed Hope Ambassador” ahead of the national rollout of the Federal Government’s Ward Development Programme.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed this in a statement he signed on Tuesday titled ‘President Tinubu Appoints Governor Uzodimma As Renewed Hope Ambassador.’
Under the new role, Onanuga said, Uzodimma will also serve as Director-General for party outreach, engagement and mobilisation, effectively becoming the chief political salesman for the Tinubu administration’s agenda across the country.
“With the appointment, which takes immediate effect, Governor Uzodimma will be responsible, in collaboration with the All Progressives Congress leadership and the governors, for evangelising the Tinubu administration’s programme,” the statement said.
As Renewed Hope Ambassador, Uzodimma, who already chairs the Progressive Governors’ Forum, is expected to “ensure harmony, inclusiveness and strategic coordination across all levels of the party,” working with APC governors who will “also be Ambassadors of Hope.”
He will lead mobilisation and engagement efforts aimed at boosting support for Tinubu’s policies at the grassroots.
The appointment comes as the Federal Government prepares to launch its Ward Development Programme nationwide, a flagship component of the Renewed Hope agenda designed to channel micro-projects, social services and livelihood support directly to Nigeria’s 8,809 electoral wards.
“President Tinubu expects Governor Uzodimma and his colleagues to promote and disseminate the party’s achievements and milestones since 2023, thereby reinforcing the message of Renewed Hope nationwide,” he stated.
Onanuga said Tinubu, who took office in May 2023 on a reform platform, is keen to tighten the political messaging around his economic and governance record as his administration battles public discontent over inflation and the impact of fuel subsidy removal.
Listing what it called key indicators of progress, the Presidency noted that “inflation, once a nightmare, eased for the seventh month in a row to 16.05 per cent in October,” while the exchange rate had “stabilised” and foreign reserves had risen to “over $46bn this month, up from $32bn and a net reserve of $4bn inherited in 2023.”
It further argued that investor confidence was returning, saying “both FDI and portfolio investments” were on the rise, with oil and gas, solid minerals and the stock market cited as major beneficiaries. Onanuga added that the economy was being diversified, a liberalised student loan regime had enrolled “over 700,000 students,” and that Nigerians “do not need to wait longer than one week to get a travel passport.”
In his message to the governor, Tinubu tasked Uzodimma with “ensuring that Nigerians are aware of and understand the administration’s achievements,” the statement added.
