"All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common; it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership.
In times of duress and difficulty as experienced during different era's of human history, it is imperative for leaders to rise from the shadows and steer the people yearning to migrate into a future of possibility and hope. Leadership is not always assigned; rather it is clarified in times of trial and tribulation from the stone of age era till date.
As John Kenneth Galbraith said, leadership is the confrontation of the major anxiety of their people in their time. The race to occupy the lion building continues to gather steam as the frontline gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Mbah embarks on whistle stop tours for rallies, consultation, nocturnal meetings, and town hall fora to advocate for votes as well as taking record of the most pressing needs of the state.
There is no gain saying that Enugu is at crossroads with myriad of issues bedeviling the old southeastern region. These mountain high hurdles elicit a clamour for a candidate that can heal the wounds, galvanize the citizenry to the zenith of economic development.
One persona who fits the bill is Dr. Mbah Peter Mbah with an impressive pedigree in the public and private sectors to trudge the political contraption christened Enugu in troubled times. At this juncture, Enugu needs a leader who possesses the characterization to proffer solutions, as the economic indices are in the red.
These days are perhaps the greatest window for leadership many of us have seen in our lifetime. On the back-end of difficulty is the opportunity. Not exploitative opportunity, as some may attempt, but the opportunity to see sparks of courage, wisdom, innovation, and character take hold and fan into flame, fueled by a crisis and the need for steady and strong men and women to stand against the tide of incoming despair.
It is no longer news anymore that our state is at crossroads and craves for much needed development to grow her economy in leaps and bounds. The economic indices are there for and sundry to see as the most desired capital of the eastern region has earned the unenviable status of the world's poverty capital with over half population living below poverty level.
In addition to this drawback are a good number of Enugu youths who form a budding recruitment factory for the hydra headed monsters christened insecurity that is not limited to banditry, kidnapping, killings and abductions amongst others. The race to the lion building continues to gather momentum as political gladiators and heavyweights are on a charm offensive with consultations, alignment, realignment and nocturnal interface to secure their candidacy as it currently stands which Dr. Mbah is mostly considered the preferred choice for the people.
The former Chief of Staff has within the past few decades of being in the public spotlight shown that his brand of politics is not defined by any sectional imperial agenda and that he is not a religious bigot. Though a devout Catholic faithful, there is no tinge of fanaticism in his locomotion on public domain. Those who know him attest to his ability to work very well with all denominations and the premium he places on merit over religious and other sentimental considerations.
Mbah is as much at home in Enugu as he is in the heart of the voters. This inherent value is there to for all to witness right from his exploits in the private-public sectors. He has a huge network of friends in politics and business. Those power networks span all shades, regions and religions. In a highly polarized political ecosystem such as ours, it is difficult to find such a political colossus that has successfully maintained without contradiction a wholly global outlook like Mbah. He remains a model for appropriate political positioning for Ndi-Enugu politicians.
He has stood out and championed international views that not only acknowledge and reflect the growing tensions in parts of the state, but also proffered practical solutions on basis of pragmatism rather than sectional political correctness borne out of fear of a possible loss of advantage. It is important to note that his state appeal is relevant and significant within the context of our current socio-political discourse today. The books are red and Ndi-Enugu needs a governor who can murder slumber via a frequency of giving his blood, sweat and tears to the fray. The Mbah proposition to facilitate a 100 billion naira SME fund to stimulate the MSME segment is a game changer for the Enugu economy. It is about a sixty days before the polls will hold in March 2023 - it is not far from the truth that Mbah constituted a round peg in a round hole that will hit the ground running if elected the governor.
Mbah's candidature is the tonic Enugu needs to regain her vitality, as his blueprint is the best in terms of its workability and applicability with a roadmap to salvage the state. This is not a time for experimentation. This is not the time for mere sentiments. We cannot afford to begin to appeal to primordial sentiments at this point in time. We need to collectively join hands and support a man that has what it takes to revamp the economy, deal decisively with security issues and unify the state. Mbah is the man with gravitas and he understands the Enugu challenge and has a passion to address them frontally to achieve results with requisite impact. Ndi-Enugu, it is obvious that our tomorrow is here.
#PeterMbah
#EnuguState
#LionBuilding
#TomorrowIsHere.
