-
What City People Found Out
Peter Ndubisi Mbah, an entrepreneur and former Commissioner of Finance on May 29, 2023, assumed office as the governor of Enugu State. He promised to grow the state’s economy, Information and Communications Technology, ICT, build infrastructure and invest in youth empowerment to stop emigration, as he reiterated the promise he made during his campaign to transform the state into a modernised state.
“We will retool and re-energize our agriculture/agro-allied sector. We will unlock our rural economy by implementing Special Economic Zones and Special Agro-allied Processing Zones. We also plan to provide a N100 billion revolving fund for our SMEs in partnership with the Private Sector and other Development Financial Institutions,” he said in his inaugural address.
Few governors can rival the ability and capacity of the uncommon entrepreneurial governor, Dr. Mbah, who in exactly 18 months in office has accomplished what many leaders aspire to achieve in an entire tenure. Enugu has recorded unprecedented Internally Generated Revenue, IGR growth for the first time in its history, with a staggering 240% increase.
In just one year, the state’s IGR skyrocketed from N26 billion in 2022 and N37 billion in 2023 to an impressive N144 billion in 2024 and is projected to exceed N200 billion by the end of 2025. This feat has only been achieved by the then Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (1999-2007), who took the state’s IGR from N7.2 billion to N96 billion signaling over a 1200% increase.
Unlike many states that rely heavily on oil revenues, natural resources, and federal allocations, the Enugu State Government stands out with its strategic budgetary and capital expenditure plans. Governor Mbah has proven himself a true “Talk and Do” leader. To put this into perspective, Enugu’s proposed 2025 budget is equivalent to the combined 2024 budgets of Imo, Gombe, and Ekiti States.
Previously, Enugu was plagued by insecurity, with rampant kidnapping, ritual killings, and other crimes making the state unsafe and negatively affecting businesses. “Life was not safe here,” confirmed Chinedu Okoro, a resident, noting that moving around the state, especially along Ugwogo Nike Road, was highly risky due to daily reports of killings and kidnappings.
The state government has tackled this security challenge by deploying modern technology, including CCTV surveillance, drones, and other advanced crime-fighting tools. Additionally, the government banned the illegal sit-at-home orders that had disrupted socio-economic activities in the state and the broader South East region. This bold move was seen as risky due to the entrenched enforcers known as the unknown gunmen.
Naijahouses.com reported that a source close to the state government explained that Governor Mbah’s commitment to security is driven by his ambition to grow the state’s economy from its current $4.4 billion to $30 billion in the next eight years. “The governor aims to make Enugu a premier destination for investment, business, tourism, and living, and this cannot be achieved without security,” it said.
To support these efforts, the state has launched a fleet of over 100 vehicles equipped with high-tech surveillance cameras capable of facial and license plate recognition. Additionally, a Command and Control Centre is nearing completion, which will enable security agencies to monitor the entire Enugu metropolis and six high-risk local government areas.
Governor Mbah’s security initiatives have garnered praise from Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, who noted the significant reduction in violence and crime, with many days and even weeks passing without incidents of terrorism or kidnapping.
In addition to security, the “Talk and Do” Governor also reiterated his earlier promise, before his election, to end perennial water scarcity in the city center within 180 days of assumption of office.
“In the area of water, Ndi Enugu is aware of our promise to ensure the availability of water in our homes in the Enugu metropolis in 180 days. We reiterate this promise here. Furthermore, we will waste no time in replicating the same feat in Nsukka, Udi, and Awgu Axis,” the Governor promised.
On 25 November 2023, which marked the 180th day of Mr Mbah’s administration in Enugu, the governor inaugurated the 9th Mile Water Scheme. Days earlier, he inaugurated another water scheme in Oji River, boasting that he had kept to his word of ending water scarcity in the state.
The governor said the 9th Mile Water Scheme produces 70 million litres of water daily while the Oji River Water Scheme produces 50 million litres daily, bringing the total to 120 million litres daily. Mr. Mbah said the total used to be two million litres of water daily. He equally built 96 public taps, otherwise known as water galleries, across the state to enable households and establishments yet to be connected to the water pipeline grid to have water.
While the promise and efforts by Mr Mbah remain commendable given that no administration had taken this bold step in the past, the promise to end water scarcity in the state in 180 days was not fulfilled. On December 2, Enugu State Government and Austrian firm, WANDE NEXUS, signed a $100m deal to implement the Sustainable Last Mile Connectivity and Advanced Metering Infrastructure Project in Enugu.
The signing, which took place at the Government House, Enugu, in the presence of the Austrian Ambassador to Nigeria, Thomas Schlesinger, the firm will be injecting the fund as Foreign Direct Investment to modernise water infrastructure.
Governor Mbah described the signing as an example of the relationship that could exist between a sub-sovereign and a sovereign, as well as a major step to getting water to the last mile in Enugu City. “We now have an investment of $100m to deal decisively with the last mile connection, the downstream part of our water system. “This huge sum shows that the economic reforms of the Federal Government and our effort to position Enugu as the premier destination for investment are yielding results because this is a major FDI, not just for us as a state, but even as a country. “For the record, this is not a case where we are just signing an exploratory agreement. This is an agreement for funds to begin to flow,” Mbah said. He further said that his administration had increased water production from an occasional two million litres to 120 million litres daily.
According to him, the biggest challenge is expanding the network and connecting the tertiary pipelines to the various homes across urban and rural areas “But with the signing of the FDI agreement, the problem will become a thing of the past as this is purely an investment of $100m being injected in our downstream water sector,” the governor said.
Beyond security and water, Governor Mbah’s construction of motor parks has been commendable by the citizens, because modernisation comes with a cost, which is while some still believe that he should take them one after the other, rather than demolishing over three sites in a space of months.
For example, in May 2024, commercial banks, motor parks, and other business ventures located beside Ogbete main market, the Holy Ghost Cathedral, and the Nigerian railway crossing went down for the construction of a modern terminal station, the first of its kind in Enugu State initiated by Governor Peter Mbah’s administration.
They were pulled down seven months after the state government gave them notice to vacate their businesses from the area to pave the way for the modern terminal station project. However, the destruction was done with a human face. The Enugu State Commissioner for Transport, Dr. Obi Ozor who conducted newsmen around the site on Saturday, May 11, disclosed that all the business owners who submitted their account details were paid compensation through the management of Nigeria Railway Corporation, the landlord of the site.
He said those who are yet to complete the process will also be treated the same when they are true, as Governor Mbah is keeping to his words on paying compensation.
Dr Obiozor revealed that the affected transport companies will also be given the option of ‘first refusal’ when the Ogbete terminal station is completed, hopefully in the next twelve months.
As a measure of easing traffic gridlock, economic expansion, job creation, etc, the Enugu State government plans to also construct terminal stations at Gariki Awkunanaw and Abakpa Nike axis of the metropolis in the first phase, which has been demolished, while Nsukka town, Oji River, etc will come in the second phase. A source told City People that the agberos rely now on languages and taxes from hawkers around the motor parks for daily money, all because of the ICT the Mbah government placed on commercial drivers. “The state government has since placed a curfew for commercial drivers after 9 pm, allowing only the cab drivers to ply the road for security reasons.
In electricity, Mbah has made Enugu one of the states with constant electricity. This was made possible after the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC transferred its operations in the state to its subsidiary, Mainpower Electricity Distribution Limited on October 21, 2024. This was done after obtaining a licence from the Enugu State Electricity Regulatory Commission, EERC, which commenced electricity regulatory duties the same day. Speaking at the event marking the completion of the transition period for the transfer of regulatory oversight, Chijioke Okonkwo, Chairman of EERC, described the transfer of regulatory authority to the EERC as “significant.”
According to Okonkwo, the development marks the start of establishing sub-national electricity markets, not only in Nigeria and West Africa but across the African continent. He added that following the enactment of the Enugu State Electricity Law in 2023 and the establishment of the EERC, Enugu became the first state in April to be granted regulatory authority over its electricity market by NERC.
Okonkwo affirmed the commission’s commitment to ensuring reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable electricity supply for all residents and businesses in the state while promoting fairness and innovation in the sector.
Beyond all these, Gov. Mbah still prioritize education through his state-wide Smart School initiative. Believing that education is a powerful tool against poverty, the state has allocated 33 percent of its N521.5 billion 2024 budget to education.
Additionally, the state plans to construct 10,000 kilometers of roads over the next four to eight years, averaging 1,250 kilometers per year. Many of these road projects have already commenced, transforming the state into a major construction site.
Governor Peter Mbah’s first year in office has seen notable progress in security, water supply, education, and infrastructure, marking a significant departure from the challenges that previously defined Enugu State through remarkable achievements, especially with this audacious budget exemplify the fact that true leadership is about delivering results that speak louder than class or ethnicity. Every entrepreneur in Nigeria and across Africa should keep a close eye on Governor Mbah’s Enugu, as it is poised to become the next Lagos.
By Benprince Ezeh
08068599879
