By Reuben Onyishi (Ugoachataberu)
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!For the people of Enugu State, a new dawn of unprecedented transformative leadership has emerged under Governor Peter Ndubuidi Mbah. His manifesto, unveiled on October 13, 2022, at Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu, has become a blueprint for revolutionary change. Mbah’s development agenda aims to increase Enugu’s GDP from $4.4 billion to $30 billion and reduce poverty to zero percent. His financial intelligence and creativity have articulated various financial models to fund projects. Driven by transcendental values, Mbah has no pecuniary interest in governance. As a successful oil mogul, he brings expertise and passion to unlock Enugu’s economic potentials.
During his manifesto presentation, Mbah spoke extempore for over two hours, outlining solutions to Enugu’s challenges. His vision has inspired hope, with even skeptics acknowledging his unprecedented development trajectories. The Mbah Administration has executed over 1000 projects in less than a year and a half, including 71 roads in Enugu metropolis and 10 roads in other senatorial zones. Notable projects include the 40km Amechi Idodo-Owo-Amankanu-Ubahu-Isi-Uzo-Obollo dual carriage way and the 21.7km Eha-Amufu Mgbuji road. Another 161 roads were awarded at N183 billion, with 20 in rural areas. The 43.7-kilometer Abakpa Nike-Penoks-Ugwuogo-Opi Nsukka Road and 44-kilometer Amah-Eke-Oghe-Iwolo-Olo-Umulokpa Road were flagged off for dualization.
Mbah’s target is to build 1,250 kilometers of roads per year, totaling 10,000 kilometers in eight years. An asphalt plant generates 160 tonnes of asphalt per hour. The administration has awarded contracts for 260 smart schools and 260 type 2 hospitals in the 260 wards, worth over N300 billion. Recently, N4.6 billion farm inputs were distributed to farmers. This aims to ensure food security and exploit export opportunities, identifying agrozones like Uzo-Uwani and Aninri. Over 300 hectares of land were mapped out for cassava planting.
Little wonder the Ogurugu Waterways and Jetty have been revamped as a means by which the processed agro produce is exported. The Mbah administration has also undertaken to see to the operationalization of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport and the Cargo wing thereof, despite the fact that Aviation is yet to be decoupled from the Exclusive List. This is being done with an eye on the export value chain effects. Already, Enugu State Marketing Board is exporting Enugu Garri and Cashew Nuts.
Meanwhile, Governor Mbah, a few days ago, commissioned the assemblage of tractors in Enugu State. This is aimed at improving farming in the state, taking agriculture from the pipeline to the platform as he had promised in his manifesto. In the area of transportation, the interchange terminals are being constructed at strategic places in the state: Ogige Nsukka, Ogbete, Abakpa and Gariki. Each of the terminals has an arrival and departure lounge, a cinema, a 26-bed motel, CNG, petrol and diesel filling stations, lock-up shops, and so on.
Over 150 CNG buses have been procured by the Mbah Administration for operation at the terminals. The idea is to ease off the high cost of transportation for the people of the state. Corollary to the operationalization of the international and cargo wings of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport is the setting up of Enugu Air. Already, some airplanes have been purchased for the start-up of the aviation business for the state, as a means of earning revenue for the state, besides the facilitation of the international trade policy of the Mbah Administration.
Mbah’s Enugu State was the first to craft electricity bill, which the state assembly passed into law following the unbundling of electricity from the Exclusive List. Thereafter, following the devolution of regulatory power to state regulators by the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the Mbah Administration set up the Enugu Electricity Regulatory Commission (EERC) peopled by experts in the electricity industry and headed by Chijioke Okonkwo, an expert player in the electricity market.
As at today, EERC has taken over the electricity regulatory power in the state as regards the three value chains: generation, transmission and distribution, even as Mainpower Electricity Distribution Limited takes over from Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC).
Mbah’s Enugu State was the first to craft an electricity bill, which the state assembly passed into law following the unbundling of electricity from the Exclusive List. Thereafter, following the devolution of regulatory power to state regulators by the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the Mbah Administration set up the Enugu Electricity Regulatory Commission (EERC). The EERC is peopled by experts in the electricity industry and headed by Chijioke Okonkwo, an expert player in the electricity market.
As at today, EERC has taken over the electricity regulatory power in the state as regards the three value chains: generation, transmission, and distribution, even as Mainpower Electricity Distribution Limited takes over from Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC). This no doubt has positive implications with regard to power availability, affordable tariffs, and effective management. Investors in Enugu, with this development, are doubly assured of power availability for their businesses. This is one aspect of ease-of-doing-business glaringly placed before investors.
Eyes have not seen; ears have yet to hear, neither has it entered into the hearts of men that which Peter Ndubuisi Mbah prepares for Enugu State. Mbah is a fast thinker who thinks creatively ten steps ahead. He has got a lot to unleash.
The small space of this piece cannot contain the magnitude of massive projects Mbah has so far done. The fact is that multibillion naira projects are being done in the state. One begins to wonder from where Mbah is generating funding for these humongous projects. Go back to Mbah’s manifesto where he brought his financial intelligence and creativity to the fore, articulating various financial models by which these projects would be funded, having carefully taken federal allocation out of the way.
At the unveiling of his manifesto, Mbah sounded Greek to the audience, who by the widest stretch of its imagination, thought impossible Mbah’s promises. Today, all have seen for themselves how good Mbah makes his uncommon promises. The fame of the Enugu Governor is bruited abroad. Investors are flocking the state, and businesses running into billions of dollars are every now and then closed.
Recently, Mbah commissioned a multibillion naira door factory at Nachi in Udi Local Government Area built by a private investor. Recall also that Mbah attracted N100 billion investment in the hitherto moribund United Palm Products Limited (UPPL). This is in addition to the revitalization and revamping of Niger Gas, Sunrise Flower Mill at Emene, ANNAMCO, Hotel Presidential, besides the International Conference Centre within which premises a 300-bed 5-star hotel is being constructed, as well as the contiguous Enugu International Hospital under construction.
When the Queen of Sheba heard of King Solomon’s unrivaled wisdom, she left her kingdom for Israel that she might see for herself. And for herself, she did see. When the Nigerian Presidency heard of the unheard-of thing Mbah is doing in Enugu State, they sent the Vice President to come and see for himself. Vice President Shetima came, saw, and testified.
Notwithstanding that Governor Mbah is an opposition governor of the Peoples Democratic Party extraction, the Nigerian Presidency doffs its cap for this highly cerebral, smart, and pragmatic young man with the heart of a lion.
When the Queen of Sheba visited Solomon, she came with many precious gifts to celebrate wisdom. The Nigerian Presidency is enthralled. Before then, the Presidency had, through the Office of the Secretary to the Federal Government, bestowed on Mbah the Award of Excellence in Public Service with special emphasis on road infrastructure.
In the interval of two weeks, another honor from the Presidency, this time from the Office of the Vice President, conferred yet again a Presidential Award on Mbah for his sterling and unrivaled contribution to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Enugu State.
On his arrival in Enugu to commission the Garment and Fashion Hub, employing over 1000 youth in Enugu, the Vice President was so overwhelmed with incredulity at the massive projects on ground so much that he said the federal government might have to look in the direction of Mbah’s Enugu State to see what it could do better, while testifying that Enugu State, under Peter Mbah, is a subnational reference point for transformative governance worthy of emulation.
Such things as spoken one time and we heard them seven times are those that even the opposition in the state have inadvertently confirmed. There is no denying the fact that Mbah’s development trajectories are like pumpkin leaves that know no boundaries; like the sun that shines for both the good and the bad.
If you haven’t eaten it with your mouth, then you stamp it with your feet. This is the good thing that has come to Ndi Enugu, a specially-packaged gift for the people. It is a new dawn in Enugu with the people basking in the euphoria of waking up every day to one uncommon good deed or the other the Mbah Administration does.
As he commissioned projects yesterday and today, praises, good wishes, kind words, and many prayers were poured on Mbah in torrents by the people of Enugu State. Even his bitterest enemy, if any, chorused Amen to the prayers while Ndi Enugu shout Hallelujah!