Reviewing Gov Mbah’s Two Years In Lion Building

Governor Peter Mbah has in the past two years executed multi-dimensional development programmes and policies that resonate within and outside Enugu State.

The programmes are laced with progressive thoughts on how to better the lives of Enugu State citizens and other people living in the state. The enthusiasm of the governor and his team in implementing the policies and programmes speaks volumes of Dr Mbah’s burning desire to redirect the ship of governance in Enugu State.

An assessment of the amount of work already done, being done or about to be executed by the governor clearly points to the fact that he strongly believes in the words of American Jamie Paolinetti that “Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations our possibilities become limitless.”

Within 24 months in the saddle of leadership in Enugu State, Dr Mbah has registered highly impressive marks in all spectrum of the state’s social, economic and political life. He has successfully held many economic discussions with key players in the global economy like the government of United Kingdom, Afrexim Bank and the Africa Development Bank. He also held bilateral business and social revival talks with top government officials and representatives of the organised business sector in France, Austria and Denmark.

Conscious of the critical role security plays in building investors’ confidence, the governor inaugurated a ₦ 20 billion Trust Fund, christened Enugu State Security Trust Fund, to rejig the state’s security architecture and make it scientific and technological driven. He also established a new security network called “Distress Response Squad” and provided it with vehicles fitted with high-tech communication facilities to ensure prompt and centrally organised responses to security distress situations.

The government went a step further to install CCTV cameras in different locations in the state to monitor the movement of criminals. It also organises regular trainings for security personnel to boost their operational capabilities even as it works very closely with community vigilante groups to ensure extensive security coverage of all the nooks and crannies of the state.

These security initiatives have translated in a more peaceful and secured Enugu State.
Investments in physical infrastructure have received overwhelming attention from the governor as he has literally turned Enugu State into a huge construction site with work going on all the sectors.

Today the administration has done more than 150 inter town, intra city and inter state roads with strong asphalt base, wide pavements, solid drainages and lighting system.The last time that the type of revolution being witnessed presently in road construction in Enugu State was during the period of Barrister Sullivan Chime as the state governor. Dr Mbah has extended the stake by venturing into the dualization of many inter state roads like Owo-Ubahu-Eha-Amufu-Benue State border road, Enugu-Emene-Ebonyi State border road; building a flyover at Eke Obinagu in Emene opposite the NNPC depot and dualising Abakpa- Ugwuogo Nike-Opi-Nsukka road.

In the transport sector, the governor established the Enugu Air to diversify the state’s economy and enhance business opportunities for the people. He also built international standard bus terminals in Enugu and Nsukka with more planned for 9th Mile and Emene.

Governor Mbah is also tapping into the gold in the tourism industry with well thought out investment plans. A few months ago, Enugu State government handed over its Nike Lake Hotel to Grandmark Africa Group to revive and manage the hotel under a joint venture agreement that will see the company sink over ₦10 billion in resuscitating the hotel with the expectation that the success of the venture will attract over two million visitors annually to Enugu, create jobs and ramp up the state’s internally generated revenue.

The government is also carrying out massive rehabilitation work on the popular Presidential Hotel located in Enugu which was built during the First Republic. The hotel is situated a few metres away from the recently completed Enugu International Conference Centre started by former Governor Chimaroke Nnamani. The centre has five spacious fully air-conditioned and well-luminated halls that can cumulatively accommodate over 5,000 quests in banquet and theatre settings.

Governor Mbah also plans to develop a 600-metres canopy walkway at Nsude Pyramid Site. The walkway on completion will be the longest in Nigeria. This is in
addition to another walkway and boardwalk at the famous Awhum waterfalls.

The governor has invested heavily in the health sector by building primary health centres in the 260 wards in the state, building an international hospital in Enugu, and the employment of key health care services providers. The government also ensured the full utilisation of its NG care funds and introduced innovative programmes in the health sector, like the Enugu State Universal Health Coverage Scheme, to provide affordable health care services to the citizens. The innovations have attracted commendations for the state from the World Health Organisation.

In agriculture the government introduced policies and programmes keyed towards increased food production for local consumption and export. It is at the advance stage of implementing its “one Political Ward, One Farm Settlement” programme to provide unhindered access to land and farm inputs for people interested in agric and agro allied business in the state.

So far, it has received 100 out of the 1000 tractors it ordered from Norta Tractors Assembly Plant in Denmark and plans to produce others locally at a tractor assembly plant to be set up by the company in Enugu.

The education sector is unarguably an area Governor Mbah has recorded tremendous impacts with the building of one Green Smart School in each of the political wards in the state to promote quality and sound education.

The government has also funded other categories of education especially the tertiary level.
Governor Mbah’s financial commitment in education is a clear testament of his wish for qualitative and self-reliant academic advancement of Enugu State children devoid of political shenanigan.

Governor Mbah has very strong and deep understanding of the need to properly identify, harmonize and effectively harness sources of revenue for the advantage of the citizens as well as the importance of plugging loopholes to prevent revenue leakages. His government introduced several reforms to improve revenue collection in Enugu State. Part of the innovations is the provision of legislative backing to
harmonize multiple taxation. The governor went further to sign the bill on One Stop Shop For Tax Collection into law, thereby simplifying the tax payment process for the citizens.

Another innovation is the plan to introduce Residency Cards for individuals aged 16 and above which will be potentially used to track and collect revenue from residents.

The government has also transitioned into digital revenue collection, especially with small business owners and commercial public transport operators. This transition has eliminated the activities of fraudsters who hitherto swindled unsuspecting small scale entrepreneurs in the state as they parade as government revenue agents or collectors.

His administration also took bold steps to modernize and improve the efficiency of the state’s civil service through different reforms, including Computer Training, Assessment Based Training, Leadership Enhancement and Development Training. These trainings have been stepped down in the LGAs because of the prime position council workers hold in rural development reformation.

The government has also carried out comprehensive audit of staff of state and local government systems to fish out ghost workers, reduce overhead cost and recurrent expenditure to have more funds for capital expenditure and development projects.

The payment of workers’ salaries and other entitlements’ at the state and local government levels has not only been regular but prompt as the government believes
in the saying that a worker deserves his wage.

Governor Peter Mbah has shown unprecedented faithfulness in paying the pensions and gratuities of both retired state and local government workers. Dr Mbah sees pensioners as men and women who deserve to be honoured for the immense sacrifices towards the development of the state.

Gov Mbah indeed came prepared.