Uzodimma lauds Imo’s investment boom as Premium Trust Bank opens Owerri regional Office
Governor Hope Uzodimma has described the establishment of Premium Trust Bank’s Regional Office in Owerri as further evidence of growing investor confidence in Imo State, attributing the development to his administration’s investments in infrastructure, security and economic reforms.
Speaking Thursday during the commissioning of the bank’s regional headquarters in Owerri, Uzodimma said the decision to locate the office in the State reinforced Imo’s reputation as a destination where “investment meets opportunities (IMO).”
He noted that the Premium Trust Bank facility was the third regional banking office to be inaugurated in Owerri within seven months, following similar investments by Access Bank and NOVA Bank since December 2025.
“Investment is a coward. It runs from noise, darkness and uncertainty. It settles only where it feels safe,” the Governor said, attributing the State’s growing appeal to improved road infrastructure, enhanced security and stable electricity.
Uzodimma said the momentum generated by the 2025 Imo Economic and Investment Summit had continued to attract major investors and assured Premium Trust Bank of the State’s support through business-friendly policies and a skilled workforce produced under the Skill-Up Imo programme.
He urged prospective investors to seize the opportunities in the State, declaring: “Do not come to Imo last. Come first.”
Earlier, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Premium Trust Bank, Mr. Emmanuel Emefienim, described the Owerri office as the bank’s 32nd branch in four years and its first in any South-East State capital.
He said the new office marked “the beginning of a strategic partnership” with the Imo State Government and its people, adding that over 80 per cent of the branch’s workforce was recruited from the State as part of the bank’s commitment to job creation, financial inclusion and economic development.
Present at the event were the Deputy Governor of the State, Lady Chinyere Ekomaru, some members of the Imo State Executive Council and other dignitaries from the State and beyond.
