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By Reuben Onyishi

For someone who had attained the high level of Chief Executive position in a topnotch oil and gas bluechip, a billionaire oil magnate sitting at the Olympian height of the board, power, wealth and fame come to him naturally as leaves to a tree. He has got it all who has it all. That was the height to which Peter Ndubuisi Mbah of Enugu State had attained before he humbly presented himself to serve the people of Enugu State as the governor.

Mbah is driven by transcedental motives and values. He is passionate about bringing value to bear on human life, elevating it above animal level, when the dignity of man is restored, to say it the way of the varsity on soft green hill at Nsukka. Mbah completely sold to the alleviation of poverty in Enugu State, for he has the key to unlock the cornucopia of wealth with which the state is blessed, and over which our past leaders ostensibly glossed. He is conscious of unharnessed wealth in Enugu State, and, so, had burned with the desire to get to the position where he could help the people of the state have access to economic prosperity.

The governance philosophy, mission and vision of his government are an evident signpost to his passionate commitment to the wellbeing of the people of Enugu State. Mbah crafted the mission and vision of his government to reflect the thoughts he thinks of the people of Enugu State, thoughts of good, peace and prosperity. The mission is to deliver a quality people-focused governance, and make Enugu State the preferred destination for investment, business, tourism and living. He envisions an Enugu State that would attain the status of the top three subnational economies in Nigeria by exponentially growing the state’s GDP from &4.4 billion to &30 billion in eight years with a view to eradicate poverty in the state to zero percent headcount index. In practical demonstration of this will, Mbah has taken measures to derisk investment in the state, by restoring peace in the state, and putting to utter end the sit-at-home syndrome, apart from the fiscal and infrastructural measures put in place. Enugu is now the toast of investors, and many businesses have sprung in the state as a result of Mbah’s clear will and deliberate intentions. The investment roundtable held on 1st September, 2023, where the investment potentials of the state were marketed to development partners and investors has paid off in many respects as deals are being closed with attendees like World Bank, African Development Bank, and such nationals like UK, Indonesia, China, and so on. Mbah was the keynote speaker at Indonesian Economic Forum at Jarkata, the Indonesian capital, in October, and deals resulting from this visit are being closed in the area of energy, mineral resources, trade and investment. All these are geared towards the economic growth of the state, something that would add value to the lives of the people of Enugu State.

Governor Mbah has also taken practical steps to directly impact lives of the Enugu people positively. This he has done by rejigging the social services sector as he promised in his manifesto. Recently, Mbah made vaccination against cervical cancer available and free of charge to the Enugu girl child from ages between 9 and 14. The HPVvaccine before now was unaffordably expensive. But the compassionate governor would not have the Enugu child suffer and die of cervical cancer. Besides this, Mbah is set to build 260 health centres in the 260 wards of the state,leveraging innovations in health services like telemedicine.

Education is one area where Governor Mbah’s compassion flows like the river to the people of Enugu State. Governor Mbah plans to spend about N200 billion in education in four years. Incidentally, the total FAAC allocation to the state in four years is projected around N200 billion. So, by implication, the Mbah Administration will spend the entire FAAC allocation to the state on education. One would wonder and ask how he would raise money for the humongous infrastructural outlay as he had proposed in terms of roads, energy, water, agriculture, ICT, transportation, roads, and so on. Creative thinking and financial intelligence make the difference, as Mbah has clearly thought out the financial models. FAAC cannot scratch the surface of what Mbah plans to unleash compassionately. So, alternative financial model has become compellingly inevitable. Mbah has begun to build the 260 smart school set to be constructed in the 260 wards of the state, a state-of-the-art education facility that would imbue the Enugu youth with global competitive edge by exposing them to technical, cognitive, moral, vocational and ICT skills, such as had never been seen anywhere near Enugu State before now. About 40,000 Enugu youths are being enrolled for training on ICT skills and another 10,000 on vocational skills. It is only a made and compassionate leader that would roll out these transcedental programmes for his people.

Water has been an age-long challenge to the inhabitants of Enugu metropolis, ostensibly occasioned by the topography of the metropolis as well as large deposite of coal on the ground. Successive administrations of the state had made efforts at coming around this challenge, but it was all like a drop of water in the ocean. But Mbah would not hear of it. He sounded Greek to the people with his claim that Enugu city is sitting on water, saying Enugu should even be called water city, besides coal city. How dare this man! What is he talking about? Naysayers would ask. Dare you think differently! Mbah promised to make available water to Ndi Enugu in 180 days. Unbelievable! The rest is history. See my essay on “Ndi Enugu, Water Is Here.” Water is life and Ndi Enugu must drink it to the lees. Thanks to Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah.

While the Federal Government of Nigeria was struggling with, and prevaricating on the minimum wage at the wake of the scotching economic hardship occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy, the compassionate Governor of Enugu came up with programmes that would palliate the suffering of the people. Mbah approved monthly cash transfer of between N10,000 and N25,000 to workers in the state and local governments across the state, based on categories of the workers. This will be paid to the workers between December, 2023 and April 2024,(for five months ) when the minimum wage question shall have been resolved. It takes a compassionate, empathetic and selfless leadership to feel for the workers and proactively roll out these palliatives unasked. Going by what Mbah has for the Enugu workers, should they be monitized, the minimum wage for the Enugu worker is above N100,000. The leadership of Enugu NLC and TUC can attest to what Mbah has done and came out to thank the people’s governor for his many acts of grace compassionately extended to Enugu workers.

The magnitude of the milk of human kindness Mbah exudes bares its bossom to the people like the sea. It is an oasis of benevolence, a cornucopia of blessings, the soothing balm of Gilead, beauty for ashes and oil of gladness for our pains, peace in the midst of trouble wrought by the transcedental leadership Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah epitomizes.

*Reuben Onyishi (Ugoachataberu) shared this piece on social media.