In the grand sweep of Nigeria’s chequered history, decades are often measured not by the turning of calendars, but by the milestones of governance, the lives reshaped by policy, and the stories a people choose to tell about themselves. Last Tuesday, in the heart of Owerri, the Imo State capital, one such story was told – not merely in words spoken, but in a book unveiled, a legacy affirmed, and a movement celebrated.
That day, Governor Hope Uzodimma stood before a gathering of the nation’s political elite to present his book, A Decade of Impactful Progressive Governance in Nigeria. It was not just a book launch; it was a symbolic marking of ten years of Nigeria’s experiment with progressive governance under the All Progressives Congress (APC). The venue itself – the Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Conference Centre – stood like a monument to the occasion. One of signature projects, the glass-and-concrete edifice gleamed in quiet splendour, as though conscious of its own symbolic weight. Within its walls assembled the full force of Nigeria’s political establishment: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, ministers, governors, lawmakers, traditional rulers, and party faithful – a tableau of power gathered to celebrate both a book and an era.
Ten years in proper perspective
It began not with the rustle of pages or the flourish of a book launch, but with memory – collective memory. A decade ago, in 2015, Nigerians made a choice that shook the foundations of their politics. They turned a page on one era and opened another, entrusting their hopes to a party that promised change. It was a moment charged with expectation – a national gamble on the possibility of renewal.
Ten years on, that choice has returned in the form of a book. Yet this was more than a political memoir; it was a ledger of hope and hardship, of milestones and missteps, of promises kept and promises still in the making. A decade may be brief in the span of history, but in Nigeria, ten years can feel like a lifetime. The APC’s journey from the euphoria of 2015 to the reckoning of 2025 has been nothing short of seismic.
Governor Uzodimma’s book maps this journey with candour and conviction. From Muhammadu Buhari’s war against corruption, through years of economic tremors and security battles, to Bola Tinubu’s reformist pragmatism, the narrative is one of endurance and hope. Uzodimma does not shy away from the shadows – insurgency that tested the nation’s soul, inflation that squeezed households, and scepticism that gnawed at legitimacy. Yet he insists there has also been light: roads built, reforms initiated, reserves strengthened, and exports diversified. ‘It is not my story alone,’ Uzodimma told the audience. ‘It is the story of a party, of a people, and of a nation struggling but never surrendering.’
When the APC wrested power from the long-dominant Peoples Democratic Party in 2015, it was hailed as a watershed moment. Nigerians, weary of corruption and inertia, placed their hopes in a party that carried the banner of change. What followed was a decade of reforms, setbacks, resilience, and renewal – a decade of experiments in governance and hard-earned lessons in leadership. Uzodimma’s book seeks to capture that arc. He chronicles the Buhari years – the battle against graft, the fight to tame insecurity, and the ambitious investments in railways and infrastructure. Then he moves through the turbulence of subsidy removals and currency reforms, before celebrating the Tinubu era’s drive to stabilise the economy and open new frontiers for trade and industry. Each chapter reads like a mosaic of the nation’s recent history – textured by struggle, tempered by faith.
The book as distilled through an academic lens
The hall grew still as Prof Bennet Chima Nwanguma, an erudite scholar of biochemistry, rose to deliver his review. His words carried not only the authority of academia but also the weight of history itself. At the heart of it all was the scholar, who peeled back the book’s layers with the scalpel of intellect, wielding both the precision of a scientist and the depth of a thinker. In that moment, he was not merely reviewing a text – he was dissecting a decade-long experiment in Nigerian democracy, distilling for the audience the meaning of progressivism in action and revealing why A Decade of Impactful Progressive Governance in Nigeria mattered far beyond its pages. ‘This work is both a testimony and a mirror,’ he declared. ‘It reflects the victories, the struggles and the spirit of resilience that have defined Nigeria’s governance under the All Progressives Congress from 2015 to 2025. But more importantly, it challenges us to ask: what does it mean to govern with impact in a nation as diverse and complex as ours?’
With those opening lines, Nwanguma set the tone for a day that was less about celebration and more about reflection – a day when leaders, thinkers and citizens gathered to examine the trajectory of what many now call Nigeria’s most consequential decade in recent memory. Methodical yet moving, the scholar unpacked the layers of the book with the discipline of a scholar and the empathy of a citizen. He identified three defining strengths. First, its chronological clarity – a careful mapping of the APC’s journey from 2015 to 2025, tracing how a party that began as a political coalition evolved into a governing institution. Second, its candour – the author’s willingness to confront Nigeria’s difficulties head-on: insecurity, fiscal pressures, social discontent. And third, its conceptual depth – a persuasive framing of ‘progressivism’ not as mere ideology, but as inclusion, solidarity, and service.
Yet the scholar’s admiration came with a caveat. ‘This book is both a mirror and a lamp,’ he told the gathering. ‘It reflects where we have been, but it must also illuminate where we ought to go. Ultimately, it is the Nigerian people who will judge whether the decade chronicled here has been impactful.’ The hall fell into thoughtful silence at his words – a silence that carried weight. It was a reminder that governance is not judged by statistics alone but by lived realities: by whether roads lead somewhere, whether policies lift lives, whether the promise of democracy feels tangible to those at the margins.
But A Decade of Impactful Progressive Governance in Nigeria is not a book trapped in national abstraction. Interwoven with Nigeria’s broader narrative is the story of Imo State itself – the roads reconstructed, the flyovers built, the conference centre now standing as a modern agora in Owerri. By blending state and national achievements, Uzodimma creates a dual narrative: at once a memoir of service and a manifesto of belief. President Tinubu, in his remarks at the launch, framed the book as a historical gift to the nation. ‘With this book,’ he declared, ‘Governor Uzodimma has given Nigeria a gift. No nation will forget its own journey, and no leader will forget the beauty of stewardship.’
Tinubu used the moment to situate Uzodimma’s reflections within the broader progress of the APC-led government. He cited fresh data: 4.23 per cent growth in the second quarter of 2025, inflation down to 20.12 per cent, and external reserves up to 42.03 per cent – the highest in six years. ‘These are not abstractions,’ he said. ‘They are proof that Nigeria is no longer where it was 10 years ago. We have endured the storms, and now we are beginning to see the sunshine.’ The President’s tone was both celebratory and cautionary – a leader’s mix of pride and prudence. He appealed for patience from Nigerians, urging them to see resilience as the necessary price of transformation. ‘Change,’ he said, ‘does not arrive on the wings of comfort.’
The National Chairman of the APC, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, hailed the publication as both a ‘compass’ and a ‘guiding light’ for the ruling party. He commended Governor Uzodinma’s intellect and depth of thought, describing him as a visionary leader whose reflections in the book will continue to inspire the APC’s ideological direction. ‘Governor Uzodinma is a man of deep thought,’ he said, ‘and this book provides a guiding light for our party as we navigate the challenges and triumphs of governance.’
He further noted that through the book, Uzodinma has reminded the APC of its evolution since its historic formation in 2013 – a journey marked by resilience, reforms, and renewed faith in progressive ideals. The APC chairman also used the occasion to extol President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom he described as a ‘Master Strategist’ and a leader who fully understands what true transformation entails. Prof Yilwatda concluded by emphasising that A Decade of Impactful Progressive Governance in Nigeria goes beyond a chronicle of achievements; it is, in his words, ‘a compass to guide the APC forward, reaffirming the values and principles that brought us this far.’
For Akpabio, the moment was equally personal. He lauded Uzodimma as a visionary who has ‘changed the face of Imo State with critical infrastructure,’ commending him for placing those local achievements within a national story. ‘What Governor Uzodimma has done here is invaluable,’ Akpabio said. ‘He has given us not just a record but a compass. Future generations will turn to this book to understand what it meant to govern with vision, courage, and accountability.’
When his turn came, Uzodimma was both author and celebrant – part historian, part patriot. He described Nigeria’s journey under the APC as one of ‘resilience, sacrifice, and gradual transformation,’ calling the book ‘a labour of love and a duty of history. This is not a personal achievement,’ he told the audience. ‘It belongs to the APC family and to all Nigerians who have walked this journey with us.’ He credited President Tinubu’s economic leadership for six consecutive quarters of trade surpluses and a significant rise in non-oil exports. ‘This shows,’ Uzodimma argued, ‘that Nigeria has the capacity to diversify its economy and to thrive in a post-oil world.’
Ten years of APC governance means different things to different people. For party loyalists, it is a decade of bold reforms, infrastructure renewal, and a recalibrated global image. For critics, it is a mixed ledger of progress and pain-of promises kept and promises deferred. Uzodimma’s book sits at the intersection of those verdicts, offering a partisan yet reflective account. As Nwanguma aptly noted, it is both a mirror of the past and a lamp for the future.
President Tinubu reminded the gathering that ‘the journey of nation-building is not a sprint but a marathon.’ Governor Uzodimma added with quiet conviction that ‘leadership is not about titles but about footprints-both in the hearts of people and in the structures that endure.’ A decade on, Nigeria remains a work in progress-still marching, still striving, still believing. Whether the next ten years will deepen the gains or dissolve them will depend, as ever, on the courage of its leaders and the resilience of its people.