Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, has once again reiterated his call for the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, stressing that “freeing Kanu is the right thing to do.”
The governor made the call during a question-and-answer session after his presentation on “Leadership and Transformation” at the Showcase Session of the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference in Enugu.
Governor Mbah revealed that his first official visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was centered on advocating for Kanu’s release. Responding to a participant who urged him not to relent, he declared:
“My first visit to the President was about Nnamdi Kanu. I believe that the right thing to do is to release him. Hopefully, that will be done soon.”
He further explained that his state had already moved beyond the disruptive effects of the sit-at-home order imposed every Monday across the Southeast following Kanu’s detention.
“We met a situation where people were compelled to stay at home every Monday. Now, people trade in Ogbete and other markets in peace on Mondays. Monday sit-at-home has ended in Enugu, as you (lawyers) can see. You can also move around and investigate,” Mbah said.
Kanu, who is currently standing trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja on terrorism charges, has continued to deny the allegations.
Turning to leadership and governance, Governor Mbah emphasized that transformational leadership required courage, vision, and disruptive strategies.
“Our vision was to grow Enugu’s economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion, to reduce the poverty headcount to zero, and to make Enugu the preferred destination in Nigeria for business, for tourism, and for living. We imagined a state that, within eight years, would be completely unrecognisable from the one we inherited,” he stated.
He noted that achieving such bold targets required deliberate investments in security and infrastructure.
“None of our visions and targets would have been possible without security. So, from the outset, we built a tech-driven, intelligence-led security architecture anchored in our Command and Control Centre. With round-the-clock AI surveillance across our neighbourhoods, integrated response units (DRS), and community partnership, Enugu has recorded an over 80 per cent reduction in violent crime. This stability is the bedrock upon which investment, jobs, and society can grow,” the governor explained.
Mbah further disclosed that his administration currently has over 2,000 ongoing or completed projects spanning health, roads, transport, agriculture, and education. He also defended his decision to allocate over 33 per cent of the state’s budget to education, describing it as an investment in the future.
“We committed over 33 per cent of our budget to education – a decision some thought was reckless. But we knew it was essential. The real wealth of Enugu, now and in the future, rests on the quality of its human capital,” he said.
