The governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma used the occasion of the independence day celebration to commend the resilience of Nigerians towards sustaining a united Nigeria; "There is no gainsaying the fact that 61 years in the life of a nation is worth celebrating. This is more so for the fact that inspite of the challenges that have assailed the nation in the last 61 years, Nigeria is still standing strong, even waxing stronger"
"The credit for this incredible survival story must be located mainly in the strength and resilience of the great people of our nation, who inspite of the divisive forces of diversity, that relentlessly assail them, have remained resilient and united"
"Therefore on this auspicious occasion of the 61st Independence anniversary of Nigeria, I doff my cap for all of us; the wonderful and great people of our dear country. I congratulate all Nigerians; our leaders and our heroes, past and present, for your individual and collective contributions and sacrifices in sustaining the big Nigerian family these past 61 years".
He also highlighted the multiple security challenges that has plagued the State in recent times and recommended re-evaluation of youth action in the South East to foster cordial relationship with other Nigerians;
"Unfortunately, we have had to contend with reactionary elements who want to sabotage the nation for purely selfish and political considerations. The unrelenting activities of these elements manifesting in banditry, kidnapping, and other forms of criminality have been a set back to the progress and development of the nation. Trillions of naira which would have been used for development are being wasted in fighting insurgency and criminality. This is why both the perpetrators and their sponsors should have a rethink so as to release their stranglehold on our economy and advancement"
"For us in the South East, we should use the occasion of the Independence to re-evaluate the recent activities of our youths as they relate to our relationship with other Nigerians, our economic growth and our future aspirations".
He therefore encouraged Ndi-Igbo to be agents of consolidation, not division and destruction in every part of the Country they find themselves, Uzodinma went ahead to sue for dialogue as a way of addressing our grievances;
"As a people who are everywhere in Nigeria, we need to remain agents of consolidation, not division and destruction. We cannot afford to suffer in our own country, by our own actions or inactions, what our people are suffering in Ghana and other African countries".
"The benefits of hindsight and lessons of history demand that we should constructively engage the Federal Government on the need to address whatever grievances we have, be it injustice or marginalization. But we may not be taken seriously if we continue to send out mixed signals. As our people say, it is easy to count the items left in the basket of a woman who falls twice on her way back from the market. Put differently, it is only a fool that allows the same stick to pluck his eyes twice. Let us put on our thinking caps".
