By Alphonsus Okoroigwe
When Governor Peter Mbah took office in May 2023, many people asked what he could really do in four years.
Now as the fours given him near their end, the entire Enugu State has the answer: 260 Smart Green Schools, 260 Primary Health Centres, Enugu Air, International Conference Centre, Hotel Presidential, and improved security.
He says the first term is only the foundation; the second term is the building. And if given another mandate in 2027, he will:
Meet the $30 billion target he promised on assuming office, having grown Enugu’s economy to over $4 billion so far. This is a plan built on productivity and investment, not slogans polished with political parlance. It includes strengthening the cargo terminal at Akanu Ibiam. International Airport, the international market at Idodo, and establishing direct cargo flights between Enugu and China. This means that Enugu traders will soon begin to import directly from China, cheaper and faster, without passing through Lagos.
To make Enugu Air a big player in global aviation industry is another goal Mbah has promised to achieve for the state. He is determined to make Enugu Air not just an airline, but also a great brand engraved on the minds of travellers. This is a bold statement implying that Enugu is open for serious business. Reports say that come December, Enugu Air will start flying directly to London, approximately four flights weekly. It is also officially billed to start flying to the United States and China before the end of next year’s first quarter. This initiative will create more employment opportunities for Enugu people, reducing the financial cost and risk of travelling to Lagos or Abuja to depart Nigeria. The world will come to Enugu, making foreign tourists who want to visit Obudu to directly land in Enugu. It will also see hotels filled up with guests from abroad, with taxi drivers working more to make more money, and restaurants selling more to foreigners desiring local delicacies. This will also attract huge tourism revenue, internationalising Enugu the Mbah way.
At a town hall series last October, Governor Mbah promised what many considered impossible: 24-hour power for Enugu State, and a monorail to move people and commerce. He urged residents to visualise into a second term an Enugu State that generates about 660 megawatts of electricity and guarantees uninterrupted power supply, adding that the effort would be piloted by the Amansiodo coal-fired power project. Imagine small and big businesses buying less fuel on account of regular power. Similarly, economic activities will thrive and productivity will increase due to saved hours in traffic, with the intra-state railway network and monorail system Mbah has promised to create.
He has also scrapped the N750 daily ticket for Keke riders and extended their work period to 10:00pm, promising to rehabilitate the remaining 1,022 urban roads in Emene, Abakpa, Idaw River, Trans-Ekulu, Awkunanaw, Coal Camp, New Haven, Thinkers Corner, Uwani, and beyond. Good roads mean less money spent at the mechanic workshop, and more money in the pockets of Keke riders.
Through his administration’s newly established BPO Hub, Mbah seeks to create over 100,000 jobs for youths in digital services. This means that Enugu youths will no longer need to relocate to Lagos for tech-based jobs. They will work in Enugu, earn in Enugu, and realise their lifelong dreams in Enugu.
Governor Mbah has also promised seed money to 1000 people in each ward, to help them start small enterprises. Fuel subsidy, for him, was a system that helped the rich more than the poor. So he strongly subscribes to giving the poor capital to start ventures, and giving skilled youths funds for tools to profit them.
Mbah’s second term blueprint also includes completing his ongoing water project aimed at supplying each day 70 million litres from 9th Mile, and 50 million litres from Oji River. This will normalise access to clean water, checking the prevalence of water-borne diseases occasioned by water scarcity in the state.
The malcontent would say, “Let another person come and try.” Yes, but who can complete existing projects in a state, if not the one who started them? With Nigerian governors usually in the habit of destroying or abandoning projects started by their predecessors, letting another person “come and try” at this point is a disaster waiting to happen in Enugu State.
Alphonsus Okoroigwe is an international multimedia journalist
Impressive. The governor is keeping his promises.