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By Nwannebuike Ejiofo
Three great events happened in the life of Enugu State recently. One had to do with the movement of the Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah from the embattled and bedraggled main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Then either as a result of that political shift in alliances, the two other events concerned the appointment of the governor as chairman of Special Committee to overhaul and modernize Nigeria’s security training institutions, as well as the filling of the vacancy in the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MSTI).
The accidental vacancy in the MSTI was caused by the sudden circumstantially-enforced resignation of the former occupant of the office of Minister, Mr Geoffrey Uchenna Nnaji, whose irregular academic certificates made it impossible for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to retain him as a member of the Federal Cabinet.
Nnaji’s resignation from office on October 7, 2025, left a void in the Federal Executive Council, as he was at the time of resignation the Enugu State representative on that very important national governance body.
Last week, President Tinubu nominated Mr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh as Nnaji’s replacement in keeping with the biblical statement that even if a house hold becomes desolate, the office should be taken by another. The quick nomination of Mr Udeh as Minister from Enugu State, which ordinarily was through the recommendation of his state governor, came as a spontaneous display of responsive governance in the state under the leadership of Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah.
Udeh’s Senate confirmation hearing and subsequent swearing-in as Minister in a space of one month, shows that Governor Mbah’s defection to APC and assiduity as a state chief executive have started yielding bountiful fruits for the people of Enugu State.
Compare the Enugu State’s scenario to that of Its Plateau counterpart, where a ministerial position became vacant in July 24, shortly after the former occupant, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwaltda, was elected as the APC national chairman.
Was Mbah’s decision to leave the troubled waters of PDP for the safe harbor of APC well thought out? Emerging indices show that the Enugu State chief executive could not have taken a better and strategic political step.
For upwards of three months, Plateau State lacked a voice in the Federal Executive Council, mainly because of lack of a political network joining the state to the national grid. But, in the case of Enugu, Mbah, as an astute leader, understands the power of democratic representation and benefits of inclusivity. He did not waste time to release his hard-working Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of the state, Udeh, for the national assignment.
As fortuitous as the circumstance turned out, it happened that both Udeh and the Plateau State nominee, Pharmacist Dr Bernard Mohammed Doro, whom the Senate had earlier cleared in late October, had to be inaugurated by President Tinubu last Thursday November 6, shortly before the President called to order the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.
The choice of Udeh for the ministerial position shows Governor Mbah’s eye for excellence in his ongoing resolve to build a pool of emergent leaders in Enugu State. This is so, because the new Minister recently celebrated his career progression as Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), which came as the culmination of years of sterling law practice.
It is obvious that the Enugu State was in a hurry to erase the odium and slur that the former Science and Technology Minister, Nnaji, infested on the image of Enugu State for alleged forgery.
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Mr. Udeh, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) from Enugu State, fills the vacancy created by the exit of former Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology, Uche Nnaji, who resigned following certificate forgery allegations. Having served as Enugu State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Hon Tochukwu Udeh, would without doubt illuminate the Federal Executive Council with his humble carriage, chaste character, academic brilliance and experience in jurisprudence.
Writing in his Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity, the American best-selling author, David Allen, discovered that “the big secret to efficient creative and productive thinking and action is to put the right things in your focus at the right time.”
Indeed, Governor Mbah understands that getting things done requires quality talents to form a team that turns vision into productive mission. The governor also shares a riveting chemistry with President Tinubu, who has been acknowledged, not only as a master strategist, but also an excellent head hunter.
Bringing his former Attorney General to assist President Tinubu in delivering on his prodigious Renewed Hope Agenda, the Enugu State has justified the confidence the President reposed on him. The people of Enugu State are confident that Udeh SAN would put in his best towards the implementation of the Renewed Hope Agenda, by getting things done in whatever Ministry that may be assigned to him.
Within the short period of time he became a subset of APC, it is becoming apparent that Governor Mbah has become the go-to governor for President Tinubu, who has assured Nigerians that the baby steps of reforms are taking the country to a prosperous future.
The appointment of the Enugu State governor as chairman of the Committee for the Review and Overhaul of Security Training Institutions by the National Economic Council (NEC) is a further testimony that President Tinubu is gathering able hands on the deck for speedy national socio-economic turnaround.
Looking back, it is obvious that President Tinubu, who was marveled by Governor Mbah’s record of achievements when he commissioned landmark projects in Enugu State on January 4, this year; meant every word he spoke during the working visit.
The President had commended Mbah for his private sector ingenuity that had been deployed to doing much in record time, stressing that the Security Surveillance and Control Room that were put together to monitor and control crimes in the state was worthy of replication at the national level.
The fact that the Mbah Committee was charged by the NEC to develop a detailed blueprint for the renovation, modernisation and improvement of training facilities for the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies, says a lot. It shows that the President Tinubu knew ahead who would ge things done in a record time, especially as they concern Renewed Hope Agenda of transforming the security sector.
What is more, that the Enugu State governor is heading the star-studded team that comprises his colleagues from Kaduna (Senator Uba Sani); Nasarawa, (Engineer Abdullahi Sule); Ogun, (Prince Dapo Abiodun); Akwa Ibom, (Umo Eno) and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State, attests to the measure of trust he has garnered for himself.
With these three positive developments that touch on Enugu State visibility and contribution to national politics and governance, Governor Peter Mbah has actually begun to shine the torch of Tomorrow Is Here across the length and breadth of Nigeria.
• Dr Ejiofo, a Public Affairs Analyst, writes from Awkunanaw, Enugu
