Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, and the Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, have commended the South East zone for heeding the call to refrain from joining the nationwide protests in August.
Both leaders spoke on Sunday during an inspection tour of various road projects undertaken by the Federal Government and the Enugu State Government on the Enugu-Onitsha, Enugu-Abakaliki, and Enugu-Port Harcourt expressways.
Speaking to reporters, Mbah and Umahi stated that the region’s decision to shun the protests—both locally and nationally—had prevented unnecessary loss of Igbo lives, businesses, and property, while demonstrating goodwill towards President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“I want to take this opportunity to commend our people for responding positively to our call to avoid the protests and focus on their livelihoods,” Mbah said. “We greatly appreciate their understanding of the value of hard work.
“Sometimes, the effects of government policies are not immediately apparent, but many of these policies have good intentions. With a little more patience, I assure you, we will begin to see the benefits of these reforms.
“We urge our people to continue focusing on their work. If our assets are destroyed, we will still rely on our shared resources to rebuild them. We must stay focused and keep pushing forward,” Mbah emphasized.
In a similar vein, the Minister of Works noted that the people of the South East and the Igbo community throughout Nigeria have made a significant statement by abstaining from protests.
“We will not protest. What we want is proper integration into the affairs of this country. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has initiated this by appointing an Igbo man as Minister of Works and another as a service chief, among other positions.
“We have historically been excluded from governance and development. However, we now witness infrastructural growth in the South East. So, why should we protest against a leader who has provided us with what we were previously denied?
“I express my deep gratitude to Governor Mbah for demonstrating leadership not only in developmental progress but also at crucial moments. I also appreciate the other governors and states that chose not to protest,” he concluded.
