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By Ifeoma Oguejiofo
This year will mark Governor Peter Mbah’s third Christmas on the saddle as Enugu State chief executive. Throughout Christendom, the yuletide is unique for its rich symbolism as a period of demonstration of love and shared humanity through sacrificial giving.
For me, this year’s Christmas is a period to reflect on the three years of Governor Peter Mbah’s coming to serve Enugu people and how his service trajectory has radically transformed the thinking of the average Enugu resident-both indigenous and otherwise-about democratic governance and responsible public office.
As a mother and small-scale entrepreneur, I am inclined to say that Dr Peter Mbah is more than a Christmas gift to the people of Enugu State. He is not an occasional player who comes to entertain or minded towards optics, as career politicians are wont to. Right from the whistle blast on May 29, 2023, to now, our governor has continued to touch every sector with steady speed and zeal.
I recall how the issue of water supply dominated the worries of Ndi Enugu, particularly those in the capital city and suburban Nsukka metropolis. Mbah’s declaration that his administration would deliver portable water to Enugu metropolis within the first 180 days in government ended up as a promise made and kept.
But, it was not as if the governor was minded only about the big dockets in his lofty manifesto, particularly the radical transformation of the educational system and comprehensive infrastructure uplift across the nooks and crannies of the state. Following up the water supply solution with well-paved capillaries of roads with asphalt overlay, came as a contingent move to address the massive excavation that trailed the replacement of decrepit and worn-out pipes with modern steel pipes.
It was as if the governor was insistent on turning Enugu State into a massive construction site, because while the earth-moving machines roared, the disruption in the education institutions hummed silently as communities bought into the Governor’s signature Smart Schools Initiative.
And, as the 26 pioneer Smart Schools took shape, what became of the legendary Government Technical College (GTC), Enugu, turned out as a national marvel and reference point of what happens when governance is pursued with an admixture of technocratic passion and private sector impulse.
The reality of Mbah’s dogged insistence on transforming the political economy of Enugu State dawned on all Nigerians when President Bola Tinubu came to commission a number of legacy projects in the state at the beginning of this year. Of all the projects commissioned by the President, none mesmerized the Nigerian leader more than the state-of-the-art Command and Control Centre for Security Surveillance.
Deploying high-resolution cameras equipped with Artificial Intelligence sensors, the Centre exposed Governor Mbah’s attitude to the fight against criminality and insecurity in a steadily challenging environment. With a blooming population and sophistication in the variety of crimes enhanced by Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the Enugu State chief executive knew from day one that beating criminals in their game must take cognizance of modern technology and real-time surveillance of the ecosystem.
Above all, as an astute businessman, Governor Mbah reasoned that if he succeeds in elevating the economy of Enugu from $4billion to $30billion, only adequate security of lives and property would guarantee that his innovative ideas to boost commerce and tourism would bear fruit
Having tackled the security and infrastructure concerns, Governor Mbah found it easy to expand access to Enugu State in a bold bid to enhance revenue inflow through commerce and tourism. So, enter the International Conference Centre with an ancillary five-star hotel facility cum shopping mall as well as the wave-making Enugu Air!
The governor’s promise of attracting not less than three million visitors to Enugu was neither bogus nor a fluke. He has transformed commuting in the state with the introduction of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses and modern terminals.
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“My vision is to transform Enugu State into a livable modern metropolis comparable to any capital city in the world,” those remarks that he rendered while taking his oath of office that fateful May 29, 2023, still echo in my mind.
About three years later, I am compelled to remember how far we have come with this memorable and transformative administration of Governor Peter Mbah. A lot of people still debate whether the governor is a politician or just a missionary leader sent for a purpose.
Whatever option anyone will choose, I think Nigerians should yearn for such a principled and purposeful leader. And, as the President advised, more businesspeople should get into the public service in order to deliver the much-needed good governance that makes democracy really beneficial.
Recently, the governor showed that he was not flagging in his zeal or resting on his oars in the resolve to give Enugu people full value for the mandate they bestowed on him. His new impetus for private job provision through the Enugu Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) came on stream to boost startups.
The governor propelled the Center to partner with the SMEDAN in the delivery of targeted equipment grant support to MSME. (Medium Small and Micro Enterprises). Without doubt, this innovative strategy will go a long way to bolster productivity, improve quality, and upscale entrepreneurial growth in crucial sectors of the Enugu economy.
And in furtherance of his determination to stem medical tourism, the governor has impressed upon contractors the need to deliver the 300-bed Enugu International Hospital before the first quarter of 2026. It is expected that by the time the world-class, multi-specialty centre is completed, Enugu State would be able to attract more than 60 per cent of the estimated $1billion outflow from Nigeria on medical tourism overseas.
It is commendable that the Enugu State governor has not reduced his speed in the delivery of his mandate and manifesto. The urgency with which he rejigged his cabinet by introducing fresh hands, shows that our governor is not only a man on a mission, but a leader propelled by history to change the lot of NdiEnugu.
While swearing in a crop of 13 new Permanent Secretaries, Governor Mbah urged the heads of bureaucracy to quickly familiarize themselves with his administration’s reforms and governance style, stressing: “These reforms are not makeshift. They are meant to be institutionalised and to outlive us. You have a duty to ensure that processes are properly documented and sustained.”
As a man very passionate about technological innovation, the governor enjoined the Permanent Secretaries to ensure that they are not beginners in ICT to fit into his administration’s integrated e-governance platform that encompasses all Ministries Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in the state.
This yuletide, Enugu people and indeed, the many visitors trooping to Enugu State will acknowledge the fact that our governor is God-sent to bring back the past glories of the state but elevate the state into a modern city in line with the Tomorrow is Here mantra. Mbah is more than a Christmas gift, he is a daily reminder of the scriptural truism that when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.
As a woman and mother, I do not know whether to say this or not. But, I have to state the truth: Come 2027, I do not see any vacancy in the Lion Building, Enugu State Government House!
• Mrs Oguejiofo, a Pharmacist, writes from Awkunanaw, Enugu State.
