By Samson Ezea
When Barr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah declared interest to run for the governorship seat of Enugu State ahead of the 2023 general elections, I was privileged to be among those that interacted with him. His intentions were clear, and his plans were ambitious, humongous, and strategic. His antecedents and breakthroughs speak the volume of his personality. He came prepared and focused. His disruptive innovations and business unusual mantra caught my attention because we can not continue doing things the same way and expect different results. His analysis of his vision and mission in the state was excellent, unprecedented, and stunning.
He was very audacious and extremely developmental, consistent, committed, and pragmatic in thoughts and perceptions. To him, nothing is impossible except raising the dead. Every other challenge is surmountable.
When some forces and conspirators out of emotions, propaganda, social media mudslingings and envy tried to stop him by all means in the election, God of Ndi Enugu miraculously gave him victory, knowing that he is the man that Enugu people desired at this point. Yes, he was and is. A rare breed, who has distinguished and carved a niche for himself both in public and private service before becoming governor.
When he said that he would construct 10,000 kilometres roads and dualise Ugwuogo- Nike- Opi-Nsukka road, some naysayers and armchair critics doubted and taunted him on social media platforms. When he said he would give Ndi Enugu water the first six months of his administration, doubting Thomases were sceptical and cynical of his promises.
Since the assumption of office, Governor Mbah has confidently walked his talk and ensured that his words are his bond. He has not only tackled and still addressing the challenges of perennial water problem in the state by increasing the volume of water, he has ensured through proper reticulation that water got to places in the state that have not seen or drank pipe borne water for decades now.
In order to achieve his promised and targeted 10,000 kilometres roads, Mbah has built and commissioned state owned mega asphalt production plant designed to produce 160 tons of asphalt per hour. Underway in the state also is a stone mining and crushing plant, courtesy of Mbah’s administration.
Apart from reactivating and re-engineering every moribund sector of the economy and ensuring that they are integrated and complementary of each other for the exponential growth of the state economy, Governor Mbah has also turned Enugu State to construction site of monumental and unimaginable proportion with prudent management of state resources and equitable distribution of infrastructural projects and wealth across the length and breath of the state, without minding whose ox is gored.
From the nearing completion of the abandoned International Conference Centre, rehabilitation of the prestigious and iconic Presidential hotel Enugu, completion of the reconstruction of the 71 roads awarded last year, awarding of 260 smart schools and healthcentres in the 260 wards in the state to establishment and accreditation of Nursing Schools and many other capital intensive infrastructural projects, Governor Mbah has not shown that he is resting on his oars soon and has displayed auduacity of leadership and demystified the challenges of leadership by recently embarking on roads flag-off galore across the state in an unprecedented manner that has proved the bookmakers, critics and doubting Thomases wrong and made them see genuine reasons to start supporting Mbah’s administration.
In a quick succession and simultaneously which is historic and novel in the leadership of the state, awarding and executing of capital intensive infrastructural projects, Governor Mbah had to the commendations and surprise of many within and outside the state flagged off the dualisation as promised of the 43.7km Penoks-Abakpa- Nike- Ugwuogo-Opi-Nsukka road. Also flagged off for reconstruction is the 44km Amah-Eke-Oghe-Iwolo-Olo-Umulokpa road, 9.3 kilometres Amodu-Akpugo road, 5km Amagu- Attakwu- Akegbe ugwu-Akpasha road and 3.12km Obuofia-Obeagu-Akegbe Ugwu road, 12.96 km Nomeh-Mburubu- Nara road, 7km Nomeh-Oduma road, 7.20km Mburubu-Nkerefi road, 9km Nara-Nkerefi road, 9.7km Amagunze- Ihuokpara-Ugbakwa road, 8.67 km Akpawfu- Akpugo- Amagunze road with a spur to Umuoma Onicha and 61.43km Isiogbo- Nara- Isu road all in Nkanu West and Nkanu East LGAs. Wawoo !!! What an audacious actions by Governor Mbah. Within three days, Governor Mbah has flagged off the construction and reconstruction of almost 200 kilometres roads across the state.
This is apart from the 40km Owo-Ubahu- Amankanu- Neke- Ikem dual carriageway, which he awarded last year alongside other internal roads in Enugu metropolis and suburbs which many of them had been completed and put to use noiselessly.
Of note in the flag-off of these projects are specifications of execution and timeline for their completion. This simply means that the contractors have been properly and fully mobilized for the contracts, and there may be no room or need for variation, which may cause delay of execution.
Also of surprise is how Governor Mbah was flagging off the construction of these road projects as if money is water. This is coming not too long after his government approved 80,000 minimum wage for all workers in the state, including local government workers and primary school teachers. Expectedly, the approved minimum wage will increase the state wage bill, but Governor Mbah appeared not perturbed or worried.
This is considering that Enugu State is not an oil producing state and is almost at the bottom of monthly federation revenue allocation to the states in the country.
Looking at all the recently awarded road projects by Governor Mbah’s administration, their importance and economic benefits to the people of the state and the Enugu State government in terms of revenue can not be overemphasized or underestimated They are numerous, overwhelming, enduring, and developmental. They dualisation of Ugwogo-Nike-Opi Road will not only open up the state, it will reduce drastically the rate of rural-urban migration, the rising cost of accommodation in Enugu metropolis and ease of transportation around the axis.
All property owners and estate investors along the road will have the values of their properties appreciated astronomically. The situation will not be different at the completion of the other awarded roads across the length and breath of the state, because of their strategic importance to the government and people of the state.
Completion of these roads together with yet- to-be- awarded and promised 10 kilometres per a ward by Governor Mbah will bring rapid development across the state and facilitate the setting of the New Enugu City Development Authority which Governor Mbah signed its bill into law late last year to oversee and regulate development activities in the new emerging cities outside Enugu metropolis.
One thing that is very obvious is that with the way and pace, Governor Mbah’s administration is executing infrastructural projects and tackling the dilapidated ones across the state, there may no rural areas in the state at the end of his second term in office. Most rural areas would have transitioned to urban areas and the challenge of increasing rural- urban migration in the state will be a thing of the past.
With the turns of events in Enugu state today, especially in the area of road construction and other infrastructural development, it is dawned on everyone, especially the doubting Thomases, social media alarmists, traducers and scaremongers that Governor Mbah’s promised 10,000 kilometres roads is achievable in the state before the completion of his second term in office. It is crystal clear that Governor Mbah is not only an intentional and focused leader. He is a role model in governance and case study in political leadership in Nigeria.
