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By Ifeanyichukwu Jaja
Three years ago, the rain that ushered in the administration of Governor Peter Mbah into office on that fateful May 29, 2023, was a metaphorical shower of blessings. And nearly 120 days later, disaster struck: the bridge linking Enugu to the southern part of the country broke down.
The collapse of the multi-span bridge at the new Artisan Market along the Enugu to Port Harcourt Expressway on September 25, 2023; presaged the imminent break from the past in the governance style of the Coal City State. It was a test of the bold claim, which predicted that Enugu State’s “Tomorrow” had arrived.
What happened thereafter, in relation to the urgent efforts to fix the broken bridge, exposed the coming collaboration between the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led Enugu State Government and the Federal Government, which was occupied by the progressives on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC).
Instead of being a huge setback to his administration’s laid-out plans to transform the state, Governor Mbah turned what was clearly a potent distraction into a show of expertise, both in disaster management and intergovernmental relationships.
Being a trunk A federal road, the young Enugu State Government reached out to the Federal Government, unfolding its plans to rehabilitate the bridge, among other remedial actions on the ever-busy Enugu-Port Harcourt Highway. Perhaps, seeing the focus and determination from the Enugu State governor to work on his talks, the Federal Government responded to Mbah’s demands for quick remediation of the bridge.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu mandated the then newly inaugurated Minister of Works, Engineer David Umahi, to undertake a fact-finding tour of the damaged bridge with a view to cooperating with the Enugu State Government to put life back on the busy highway.
Having arrived in Enugu, the Minister, accompanied by Governor Mbah, went to see
things for themselves. After recognizing how photographs and reports about the collapsed bridge had gone viral on the social and mainstream media, Senator Umahi disclosed that the Enugu State governor was relentless in asking him to come over so as to examine the collapsed bridge and chart the way forward for reconstruction.
“This bridge that collapsed has gone viral. A lot of people have been sending the pictures to me and have been calling. When you have a leader, who is committed to what leadership of a people should be, he must get support. That is why I decided I must come so that I can brief the President.
“Yesterday. I sent the man in charge of bridge design and construction and the Director of the Federal Ministry of Works in charge of the South East. What has happened here is very unfortunate. I have read the report of my men, and I have also read the report you sent to us, and the pictures, and the two reports are the same. The piles were exposed, because besides the abutment, this bridge was built in 1978,” the Minister informed Governor Mbah
The Enugu State governor suggested to the Minister that the Federal Government should incorporate his government in its Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI).
Coming at a time when Tomorrow Is Here was taking shape, it was obvious that the Artisan Bridge accident helped to expose Governor Mbah’s assiduity and responsiveness to the people’s welfare.
Like the Igbo are wont to say, emergencies are beyond champions, but unforeseen developments reveal heroes. Governor Mbah manifested his private sector experience in multi-tasking and precision problem-solving in the speedy replacement of the collapsed bridge.
The Minister of Works, Umahi, was quick to identify that virtue. He had declared. “I am happy that you came from the private sector. There is a very serious high hope in the steps you have rolled out. There must be a change. We must reset the country.”
Unknown to many people, while the distraction presented by the collapsed bridge was being addressed, the Mbah administration was covering huge mileage in the governor’s promise of providing potable water in the metropolis within the first 180 days of his administration.
Within Governor Mbah’s first 100 days in office, the government had turned the entire Enugu State into a huge construction site. Simultaneously, work was going on at many multi-sectoral project sites, including the 260 Smart Schools, International Conference Centre, three Modern Bus Terminals in the state, the Government Technical College (GTC) remodeling, among many other impactful projects.
By the time that Governor Mbah clocked one year in office, more than 60 per cent of the deliverables on his campaign manifesto had attained 95 per cent completion stage. Nigerians began to turn their attention towards Enugu State. Questions were asked about the developmental marvel unfolding in Enugu, especially regarding project conception and funding.
Against the background of the growing interest in his remarkable achievements in the governance of Enugu State, Governor Mbah began receiving countless speaking requests from reputable organisations and institutions.
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For instance, as a resource person at the London School of Economics (LSE), one issue that the Enugu State chief executive was asked to address revolved around his policy choices and deadlines. As he delivered the lecture at that prestigious university, Governor Mbah went down to the basics.
He disclosed how he adopted the mantra, Tomorrow Is Here, as his campaign payoff in the course of his electioneering for the governorship contest. He stated: “Tomorrow is Here, what do we mean by that? Tomorrow Is Here’ holds us to the fact that every decision we make now affects our future and our children’s future.
“Of course, this begs the question: What future do we want? How do we want to prepare the soil for generations to come? What will be the cost of short-term thinking, complacency, or hesitation and doubt? We need to take a visionary view of the future that awaits us and take
bold steps to lead our lives towards an enduring, regenerative legacy.”
Spurred by that enchanting pay-off, every day was very eventful such that at the end of each month one project after another was being turned out for the people. That was why during the event of his third anniversary thanksgiving, stakeholders in Enugu State took turns to reel out the achievements of the governor.
A well-respected Catholic Priest, Professor Monsignor Obiora Ike, who rendered the sermon at the thanksgiving service held within the Government House Chaplaincy, blended scriptural truths with the realities of governance under Governor Mbah in Enugu State.
The Catholic Cleric underscored the fact that within the last three years, the Enugu State governor had recorded monumental achievements that go to demonstrate the fact that Enugu people are fortunate to have him as governor.
Going by the Reverend Father’s analogy, the past thirty-six months represent the solid reasons why Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, should be retained for a second term as governor of Enugu State to consolidate his sterling initiatives and set the stage for sustainable good governance.
While noting that Governor Mbah is always receptive to good ideas and disposed to beautiful changes, Monsignor Ike stated: “God has sent you, Peter, to be the rescuer of our people. We see the things you do and we clap, but we haven’t seen anything yet. The governor is intentional and plans all he does, not with a fire brigade approach.
“That is why I drive to my village at Ezeagu from the Amah junction and I don’t see any potholes. And this is happening everywhere in Enugu. I will be flying to Abuja today on Enugu Air. The airline is putting Enugu on the world map, because everyone who wants to buy a ticket will know about Enugu. So, we are on the map, not with wounds, but with things that make things happen.
“Many lives are being touched, not because we have a lot of money, but because there is willpower. An openness to the divine God to say, ‘Use me to change lives.’”
The cleric particularly praised Governor Mbah for his innovative technological mix in providing security to Enugu State, which even President Tinubu singled out for praise when he commissioned Mbah’s signature projects on January 4, 2025.
“Some weeks ago, there were shootings around the White House. So, insecurity is global. But, Enugu is a place where we can move around. Many states cannot go out on Mondays. But Monday sit-at-home is a thing of the past here,” Monsignor Ike noted.
He stressed that despite the mounting security challenges in Nigeria and around the world, Governor Mbah has excelled in making Enugu State safe “through political will, investment in technology, and logistical support to security agencies in the state.”
As the march to the next general election begins to gather steam, there is no doubt that Governor Mbah’s quiet governance and political revolution going on in Enugu State have endeared him to Ndi Enugu.
Having identified Mbah’s reputation as a quiet achiever, who puts competence above politics and clannishness in his team selection, Monsignor Obiora Ike established the fact that those virtues are what Enugu people look for in their leaders.
What is more, if elections were held today, Governor Peter Mbah’s achievements in office in the last 36 months have already earned him a second term mandate.
• Dr. Jaja writes from Awgu, Enugu State.
