Residents of Imo State will begin to enjoy uninterrupted 24-hour electricity supply from November, Governor Hope Uzodinma has announced.

The initiative will begin with a test run in Owerri metropolis and its environs before extending to Orlu, Okigwe, and Mbaise zones in the coming months.

Speaking at the weekend during a stakeholders and expanded State Executive Council meeting held at the Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Conference Centre (EIICC), Owerri, Uzodinma said the Urashi Power Plant Project, empowered by an enabling law, will drive the new electricity scheme.

The governor also announced that individuals earning below N150,000 monthly would be exempted from paying personal income tax, adding that oil companies operating in the state would shoulder the cost of implementing the policy.

He further disclosed that retirees and students will enjoy free transportation on major routes, including Owerri–Okigwe, Owerri–Orlu, Owerri–Aba,

Owerri–Onitsha, and Owerri–Port Harcourt, using newly procured Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered metro buses.

Uzodinma reiterated his administration’s commitment to tackling insecurity in the state and ensuring peace and stability for development to thrive.

On ongoing infrastructure projects, the governor said 50 percent of payments had already been made to contractors handling various road and development works across the state.

He explained that he was not pressing for refunds from the Federal Government for federal roads executed by his administration, expressing confidence that future governments would pursue such reimbursements. His focus, he said, was to ensure that Imo people benefit from improved road infrastructure.

The governor also emphasised the need to empower the younger generation politically, stating: “We need a new generation of politicians to run the affairs of Imo State.”