One Year After: Enugu’s Grassroots Revolution And The Triumph of Local Governance

By _Global Accountability Watch_

As the local government chairmen of Enugu State mark their first anniversary in office today, one incontrovertible fact stands out: never in Nigeria’s recent history has grassroots leadership demonstrated such vision, capacity, and impact within so short a time. What has unfolded in Enugu over the past twelve months is nothing short of a revolution—a deliberate departure from the mediocrity of the past toward a bold, people-driven transformation.

This is not coincidence. It is the outcome of the people’s determination to entrust leadership to men and women whose competence aligns with the disruptive innovation and governance philosophy of Governor Peter Mbah administration. By interrogating the old order of elitism, waste, and underdevelopment, these chairmen have repositioned governance as a tool for solving real problems, questioning conventions, bridging rural-urban divides, and improving the daily lives of ordinary citizens.

The results are undeniable. Across the 17 local government councils, evidence of change is everywhere: healthcare reforms that are saving lives – dramatically eliminating maternal and child mortality rates, investments in agro-allied ventures that are driving food security, rural electrification through structured green economy and renewable energy sources, and road networks that are opening up forgotten communities, and radical education transformation that are empowering the next generation in tech, innovation and skills. Local governments are no longer silent outposts of neglect; they have become engines of development and hope under the Mbah’s leadership.

Certain LGAs deserve special mention for their extraordinary drive—Enugu East, Nkanu West, Nkanu East, Nsukka, Enugu North, Ezeagu, Awgu, Isi Uzo, and Igbo-Eze South. These councils have distinguished themselves as game changers, excellent performers, and champions of inclusive growth. They have gone beyond the narrow confines of constitutional duties to deliver visible, people-centred projects. In so doing, they have not only complemented Governor Mbah’s state-wide agenda but have brought governance directly to the doorsteps of the people.

What is striking is the speed and scale of this transformation. In just one year, these leaders have achieved what once seemed impossible at the local government tier. For decades, local governments across Nigeria have been dismissed as the weakest link in governance. Today, Enugu’s chairmen are rewriting that narrative. They have demonstrated that with fiscal responsibility, vision, and political will, local councils can serve as laboratories of innovation and as direct conduits of democracy’s dividends.

It is little wonder that public admiration for their performance is overflowing. The people are right to be awed. If so much has been accomplished within a single year, then the future promises even greater dividends as these foundations are consolidated. The call, therefore, is for the people to sustain their support and partnership with these leaders, recognizing that sustainable progress requires collective effort.

Yet, it must also be said: this success story is inseparable from the enabling environment created by Governor Mbah. His bold decision to grant fiscal autonomy and free rein to the LGAs is the masterstroke that unlocked their potential. By trusting them with both resources and responsibility, he ensured that innovation could flourish at the grassroots. The achievements of the chairmen are, in truth, reflections of the governor’s broader socioeconomic philosophy—a philosophy anchored on disruptive governance, fiscal discipline, and people-first solutions.

At one year, the verdict is clear. Enugu’s local government chairmen have proven that leadership at the grassroots can be dynamic, creative, and transformative. Together with Governor Mbah, they are blazing a trail that other states must learn from. What we are witnessing is not just progress—it is the birth of a new model of governance in Nigeria.