The Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, has been accused of sponsoring reports against the governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, and the Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers.
Recall that a flagged report claimed that Mbah stopped the participation of Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council in the Southern Nigeria Traditional Rulers Council in Owerri, an event attended by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume; Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State; and hosted by Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State.
The report also claimed that Governor Mbah was working against the interest of the Federal Government.
However, it has been discovered that the report, which was flagged by many media houses for unsubstantiated allegations was being pushed by a media aide to the Uche Nnaji, an ally of the Imo State governor.
“We will not react to that type of report. More so when it is clearly sponsored.
“But it is unfortunate that Uche Nnaji always lends himself a ready tool to undermine Enugu State, which he contested election to govern.
“Enugu State remains the capital of the South East region, Ndigbo, and the defunct Eastern Region. In fact, at a point, it served as the capital of the entire southern protectorate, except Lagos, which was a colony.
“When the northern traditional rulers want to meet, the Sultan of Sokoto travels all the way from Sokoto to Kaduna, the capital of the north even when he is at the helms of the Caliphate and also the Chairman of the Northern Nigeria Traditional Rulers Council.
“But Uche Nnaji is always a willing tool to undermine both Mbah and Enugu State. So, if we insist that nobody can continue to undermine our state and status as a state, how is that the governor’s fault?” an Enugu traditional ruler, who spoke on the condition of anonymity stated.
Giving further background to the report, the highly revered royal father added, “The truth is that Uche Nnaji and the man he is working for are not conformable with the robust relationship between Enugu State and the Federal Government, which is yielding federal interventions and cooperation on projects and matters to boost socio-economic infrastructure in Enugu State and by extension the South East.
“They are not comfortable with the commendations being showered on the Mbah Administration for the great jobs he is doing in Enugu State. Do not forget that the governor was recently conferred with the MSME Award by the Office of the Vice President, while the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation also recognized him for what he is doing in the area of road infrastructure in the state.
“So, they are just jittery and we will not officially respond to their panic and mischievous moves. We can only encourage Governor Mbah to continue his good work. He just awarded 141 urban roads and 20 rural roads, having previously commissioned over 71 urban roads in addition to 10 ongoing major rural roads and other key projects across Enugu State. These are the kind of things we want to see.”
