The emergence of Dr. Peter Mbah, as the Enugu State Governor-Elect has kindled a new spirit of enthusiasm and hope in the people of the state that, for the first time since its creation in 1991, the state will be under the watch of an accomplished entrepreneur, investor and business innovator, with all the great promises and opportunities it portends. The people have seen in him an epitome of competence, capacity, innovative and disruptive ideas made for critical times like this when the economy and security of the state and the country at large are on the downward spiral.
Mbah’s innate abilities and preparation, buoyed by imaginative and audacious dreams, goals and visions for Enugu State, resonated so well with the people at town hall meetings across the state. He is rebuilding the confidence of our people in themselves to not only overcome the many challenges facing the south-east region, but also to become a pacesetting state once again.
An increasing number of communities and interest group have thrown their weight behind Mbah's emergence as the Governor-Elect as could be seen from the flurry of congratulatory messages inundating both the print and electronic media. They appear united in their conviction that Mbah's philosophy and modern ideas infused with technology would restore hope to the business of governance in Enugu State and even elevate it to a model for other states to learn from.
On March 22, 2023, Mbah was declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the winner of the rescheduled March 18 governorship election, sparking joy and celebrations around the state. The next morning, Mbah's made his acceptance speech to the people of the state. In the well-received speech, which was broadcast live to Ndi Enugu, the Governor-Elect showed leadership and statesmanship as decried the divisive politics of the past, promising to forge unity and inclusiveness.
He said: “Let me restate that ours will not be a government of any section of Enugu State. It is your government, Ndi Enugu. Under our administration, there can never be division between Nsukka and Nkanu or any other section of the state. We are all brothers and sisters. Those who attempted to create a wedge between us failed woefully. We were massively voted by every section of the state.”
He pledged to serve ndi Enugu with total dedication by ensuring that the 1,460 days that make up his initial tenure of office would be used to bring dividends of democracy to the people of Enugu State by dualizing the Abakpa, Ugwuogo Nike-Nsukka road, build a monorail from Enugu to Nsukka, Udi, Awgu and to also construct a ring road to connect all the 17 local government areas of Enugu State.
He also talked about building a world class Theme Park in Enugu, establishing a Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in all the local government areas, as well as an industrial park in all the three senatorial zones of Enugu State. Under his watch, the youths of Enugu State will be meaningfully engaged by growing and nurturing their interest in business and vocational skills as Mbah promised to build a School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and Innovation Incubation Centre, as well as a Skill Enhancement Centre in each of the three senatorial zones.
The most fascinating and enthralling plans of the Governor-Elect was his utmost focus and desire to bring water to all homes in Enugu Metropolis in 180 days of his being sworn in, while pledging to bring water, in the shortest possible time, to Nsukka, Oji River, Udi, Awgu and other places in the hinterlands.
According to him, his proposed plan would not only create jobs but will also attract massive infrastructure that would enable industrialization by creating an atmosphere of confidence for foreign investors to sink their money in profitable businesses, adding that key indicators such as revenue traceability, accountability, transparency, integrity, independence of judiciary and adherence to the rule of law would be the benchmark of his administration.
In his speech, he reiterated that the mission and vision of his government would be to deliver quality, people-focused governance by making the state the preferred destination for investment, business, tourism and living. And similarly, to make Enugu one of the top 3 states in Nigeria in terms of Gross Domestic Product, and achieving a zero percent rate in the poverty headcount index when he is sworn in as the governor.
It is important to note that after Mbah's acceptance speech, few persons who were still in doubt of Dr. Peter Mbah's ambitious blueprint have finally made a political volte-face, backtracking and a change of mind because they have carefully seen that stands Mbah out from the rest of the pretenders and contenders in the guber race.
Some who argue that the Governor-Elect is making too many unachievable promises to the people of Enugu State considering the extreme fall in allocations from Abuja have finally taken note of how Mbah’s mind works. A careful look at his well-detailed manifesto, which not only outlines his plans, but how to achieve them, will clearly show that he downplayed, and hardly mentioned, let alone relied on the Federation Account. He is focused on government-enabled, private sector-driven transformation. He is focused on migrating Enugu State from a public sector driven economy to a private sector driven economy.
The emergence of Peter Mbah as the next Governor of Enugu State has consequently given succour and hope to the people of Enugu State, the people have come to believe that Mbah will fulfill his promises and take Enugu State to an enviable height; they have known that it is not just mere political rhetoric but absolute conciseness, and that is why those few who were doubting his capacity and personality took one-eighty as a retraction from their bewilderment of who Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah was; to who he is, as they all assure total commitment and support to Mbah's administration for the development, peace and well-being of the state going forward.
Darlington Arinze Nnamani
