By PETRUS OBI
From his campaigns, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State was able to convince the people of his hunger, his thirst, his commitment and determination to turn things around.
His vision, ideas were clear. They were laudable. The commitment, dedication and zeal were unmistakable.
The people were convinced. They were satisfied. This is what they wanted. And in turn they gave him their mandate.
In 100 days, the governor, has shown the will power to translate his ideas. He has also shown focus. And just like he promised, it has not been business as usual.
The 100 days anniversary provided the “opportunity to reflect on the time spent,.. identifying what has been achieved, matters we are still working on, as well as, areas we are still finalizing plans to address.”
In a radio broadcast to his people, the governor re echoed confidently a perfect understanding of his duties as governor.
He said: “Like a visioner, I saw ahead of this time. My eyes penetrated layers of months and years ahead into our own brand of the Promised Land. While many saw what we forecast as our plans in office as overtly ambitious, we were convinced that, with the active support of Ndi Enugu, we would outshoot our projections.
Recalling his anecdote of Emeka and Ikechukwu Mbah noted that after 100 days in office, “a hopeless Emeka may not have totally transformed into an Ikechukwu, but the fertilization of the ground for the growth of an Ikechukwu has begun in earnest.
For those who expected commissioning of hurriedly and haphazardly executed jobs, which has been the trend in Nigeria, the Governor reminded all that, “this journey is not the quick dash of a 100-meter race but a marathon. Those who know the stuff with which superstructures are built will know that we have spent our first 100 days preparing the enduring foundation of all the promises we made to our people.”
Realizing that economic development cannot thrive in an environment of insecurity, he tackled the Monday Sit-at-Home which had been a cog in the wheel of progress in the state.
Today, tremendous progress has been made and gradually sit-at-home is now history.
Mbah has also boosted security presence in Enugu State, working with the Nigerian Police, the Army and all other security forces.
The government also launched the Distress Response Squad (DRS) in the state, and has procured vehicles to enhance its effectiveness and mobility.
Not done with the issue of security the government is about to commence the rollout of a statewide CCTV camera network which will provide 247 surveillance of the state, and inform swift security response to any breach of peace anywhere in the state.
Governor Mbah has signed the Enugu State Power Law, which domesticates the Electricity Act 2023 and now gives the state regulatory power to establish an Enugu State Electricity Market, and to attract investors to expand power generation and distribution across the state.
This is part of deliberate efforts to industrialize the State.
The government has also held investors’ roundtable in Enugu, attracting investors from all over the world. The September 1st event was hugely successful attracting the best of the private sector and the development partner sector with the likes of AfDB, AFREXIM,FCDO, the World Bank etc. in attendance.
The roundtable signposts Enugu’s seriousness about the race to attract private capital into the state. It also marks the beginning of the process of working with the investment world to curate project pipeline, with the aim of preparing them for investment.
The government has been able to reconfirm all pending pension and gratuity, and payments of arrears have since been started.
It has also commenced the clean-up and overhaul of all outstanding pensions and gratuities to local government workers and primary school teachers.
Big things in Enugu
One good thing about Governor Peter Mbah is that he attaches time to all his promises.
During his campaigns he promised to curb the perennial problem of water in Enugu within 180 days in office.
Already, extensive progress has been made in meeting the promise to provide water to Ndi Enugu.
Hear him: “Currently, we have commenced the production of over 25 million litres of water daily at our Ninth Mile location, the most we have achieved in the last 20 years, and we are poised to have up to 70 million liters daily by the end of next month. At this rate, we are ahead of the curve in our race to deliver water to Ndi Enugu by the end of November which will mark 180 days since our inauguration, in line with our promise.
The government has further planned a New Enugu City, which will provide space to decongest Enugu city and allow it to grow rapidly, while providing real estate investment opportunities for Ndi Enugu as well as investors from the diaspora. The design of this new city is at an advanced stage.
In the next few weeks, he said work will commence on 81 urban roads across the state, and at least 2 fly over bridges (at Abakpa and Holy Ghost-Ogbete-Old Park axis) as well as 7 of our priority roads, many of which are going to be built anew.
Work will also Commence on the construction of 260 model basic schools across the wards in the state. This will mark the commencement of our Cut-Off Point Programme, an expected turnaround of basic education in Enugu State.
There is also the refurbishment of at least 260 Primary Health Care Centres in the State to help ensure access to quality healthcare across the state.
Like the governor said, it’s been 100 days of thoughtful planning to lay the groundwork for some of the rapid progress which Ndi Enugu can look forward to in the near future.
Most opinion leaders in the state who spoke to EverydayNewsngr.net expressed confidence that the governor is on track to build a great and new Enugu that the people will be proud of.
The Chairman Nigeria Bar Association, Enugu branch Chief Barr CNN Nwagbara says Enugu has been blessed with a visionary leader.
“You can see the zeal. The commitment. Determination. Above all, the governor has the willpower to take far reaching decisions in the interest of the State
“No doubt Enugu is in good hands. Governor Peter Mbah has a plan. And he is laying the basic foundation needed to actualize his dreams. I can only say congratulations to Enugu people for making the right choice at the polls.”
24. As I mentioned at the beginning of this speech, these are very early days yet and there is certainly hard work to do in the months and years ahead. However, these first few days have reconfirmed my confidence that our stated objectives, though they may appear ambitious, are far from unrealizable.
25. First, I have seen the strong willingness of the private sector to invest in the state, as well as the unrelenting support available from the numerous development agencies, but most importantly, I have experienced the spirit and resilience of Ndi Enugu, which have become ever more apparent to me in these last 100 days.
26. These give me hope and confidence in the future of Enugu State.
27. In the coming quarters, I will continue to keep you up-to-date, regarding our progress on this journey that we have committed to undertake together. This we will do through townhall sessions and media briefings by myself or other delegated officers of government.
28. As I bring this address to a close, let me thank the staff of the Enugu State Government and my appointed cabinet for their unalloyed commitment to this job at hand. I trust that I can continue to rely on your support and loyalty in the coming years as we work to realize our promising tomorrow in Enugu State.
29. I must also again thank Ndi Enugu for choosing us for this job, and we will continue to deliver output that continually reaffirms to you that you have made the right choice.
30. Thank you for the support and God Bless.