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By Chijoke Anih Nnaji
A retrospective glance cast nationwide on abandoned projects littered across the length and breadth of the country depicts over 56,000 abandoned projects representing an estimated ₦17 trillion in wasted funds portraying Nigeria as home to a massive graveyard of unfinished infrastructure. Empirical findings show that south-east geopolitical zone is buffeted with over 15,000 of these abandoned projects dotting the firmament.
In Enugu State, there was plethora of projects hitherto referred to as abandoned until the advent of Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, ranging from Enugu International Hospital, International Conference Center, ICC, Niger Gas, Presidential Hotel, among others. Studies have shown that political discontinuity, funding, mismanagement, pointedly present as clogs in the wheels of project execution in the country. The coming of Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has copiously shown that his administration has the trappings to translate vision into reality.
The vision of founding fathers through which Presidential Hotel, International Conference Center, ICC, Enugu International Hospital, Sunrise Floor Mill, Niger Gas among others were enunciated became comatose prior to Governor Peter Mbah’s assumption of office in 2023. No doubt, Governor Mbah has demonstrated as tested, that his leadership capacity has the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency. Infrastructure in Enugu State especially abandoned projects were laying prostrate, desolate, asphyxiated and in ruins.
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has made the revamping of abandoned and moribund projects a central plank of his administration’s economic agenda, aiming to restore state assets, create jobs, and boost Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). His administration has targeted long-abandoned infrastructure constructed by past administrations, including those from the first republic and the early 2000s.
Nigergas Company Limited: This 1962 industrial facility, dormant for over three decades, was revamped to produce industrial gas, including oxygen and acetylene, aiming to supply the entire Southeast.
Hotel Presidential, Enugu: Abandoned for roughly 15 years, this iconic hotel was reconstructed and re-commissioned in August 2025 as part of a strategy to boost tourism and hospitality in the state. International Conference Centre (ICC), Enugu: Left idle since 2007, this large venue (3,000-capacity auditorium) has been fully completed and commissioned, with an additional 5-star hotel currently under construction to service it.
Recreational and Tourism Sites: Public parks in Coal Camp, Uwani, and New Haven are being converted into modern recreational centers with sports facilities. The Agwu Games Village, Ngwo Pipe Forest, Awhum Waterfall, and Akwuke Beach are also undergoing renovations. Water Supply Infrastructure: The Ajali and Oji River Waterworks, which were largely inoperative, have undergone major reconstruction and activation.
His administration has increased the state budget from N166 billion he inherited in 2023 to a record N521.5 billion in 2024, N971 billion in 2025, and a historic N1.62 trillion in 2026. Importantly, he reversed the prevalent national culture of recurrent expenditure-heavy budgets. The least capital expenditure for each of the aforementioned budgets under him has been 80 percent. In fact, capital expenditure got 86 percent in 2025, while recurrent expenditure got 14 percent. This underscores how bullish he has been in cutting cost of governance and wastefulness to build infrastructure and other enablers that support investment and economic growth.
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Over 1,000km of roads have either been constructed or reconstructed. And this includes rural roads and bridges as well as dual carriageways like the Enugu-Ugwogo Nike-Opi-Nsukka Road, the Owo-Ubahu-Amankanu-Neke-Ikem Road, in addition to several other rural farm-to-market links. Mbah has raised water production from occasional 2 million liters to over 120 million liters, even as he battles frontally the reticulation challenges. This is a massive step towards totally ending decades of scarcity in Enugu capital city.
He constructed five ultra-modern transport terminals and rolled out 100 CNG buses (while another 100 buses are underway). 2,000 environment-friendly city taxis are on the way too. He launched Enugu Air with three aircraft in July 2025 and the airline has grown to six planes already. And he plans to grow it yet again to 20 aircraft as part of his plans to make Enugu an aviation hub for West and Central Africa, with routes stretching to Asia, America, and Europe.
The flagship New Enugu City covers 10,000 hecters with 26km² currently being developed. The smart city features residential zones, an industrial park, medical centres, sports arenas, and dedicated power. These are not mere promises; they signal a deliberate move toward a livable, investment-ready metropolis.
Mbah’s administration has delivered over 265 Smart Green Schools, which are solar-powered, digitally equipped facilities with STEM-focused curricula across all 260 wards. These will take between 800 to 1,000 students each, who will receive one nutritious meals meal daily. The school is totally free – uniform, free tuition, free tablets, and more. Importantly, whereas UNESCO benchmark for budgetary allocation to education is 15 to 20 percent, the Mbah Administration has consistently allocated 32 to 33 percent of the state’s annual budget to the sector
In the area of healthcare, 260 Type-2 primary facilities have been delivered in virtually all the 260 wards alongside the recruitment of 2,500 health workers. The nearly completed 300-bed Enugu International Hospital aims to capture a slice of Nigeria’s $1 billion annual outbound medical tourism spend, positioning Enugu as a medical tourism destination. Perhaps the shift from civil service state status to a diversified economy is most evident here. Mbah is building the youth’s digital capacity in a scale never before witnessed. Another name for Enugu State today is tech and ICT.
Initiatives include the Enugu Tech Festival (“Coal to Code”), training thousands of youths in digital skills as well as the $20 million technology investment for local manufacturing – the Enugu Haier Factory, a partnership between his administration and Haier Group, the world’s largest manufacturer of appliances, with global revenue exceeding $60 billion in 2025. Haier Group portfolio of international brands includes GE Appliances, Mabe, Candy, Sanyo Aqua, Hoover, and Fisher & Paykel.
To facilitate investment, Mbah has taken radical steps such as laws, policies, and regulations, to reposition land administration in the state. Land administration has been digitized via the Enugu Geographic Information System (ENGIS), slashing bureaucracy and improving ease of doing business. There is also the Enugu State Properties Protection Law to checkmate the activities of land grabbers. He equally signed a new Land Use Regulation into law in 2025.
As we gird our loins for the 2027 elections period, Ndi Enugu are waiting with baited breaths to reward Governor Mbah, haven marched vision with execution culminating in the revolutionary socio-economic advancement our people are currently savouring.
