Our Commitment to Ndi Enugu: The Journey So Far

GUEST COLUMNIST BY PETER MBAH

First let me begin by giving my profound gratitude to the entire Management and Staff of Godfrey Okoye University and its other collaborators for this excellent forum – and the opportunity it offers for an enriching dialogue.

My dear people of Enugu State, I want to begin today by asking you to remember something.

Think back to May 2023, when we first assumed office. Think about the condition of our state, the difficulties we faced, and the expectations we had gradually learned to live without.

I want us to be honest about that period, because unless we remember where we began, it becomes difficult to appreciate the distance we have travelled.

There was a time when Monday was no longer an ordinary working day in Enugu. Shops remained closed. Roads were deserted. Parents were afraid to send their children to school. People who depended on their daily earnings had to surrender an entire day’s income because others had decided they should remain indoors.

Consider what that meant for a woman selling food in the market. Her customers were at home, her produce was deteriorating, and the money she needed to support her family would not be earned that day.

Or the young man who had borrowed money to start a business, only to discover that one working day in every week had effectively been taken away from him.

Our children who lost a whole academic year before their compulsory external exam paper fell on a Monday. That was the reality we inherited.

Our roads were in poor condition. Public services had deteriorated. Many schools were struggling to provide the kind of education our children deserved. Our health facilities needed substantial investment.

And Enugu, a city that had once been the natural centre of commercial, political and cultural life across the region, was gradually losing that position.

Businesses were looking elsewhere. Major events were moving to other cities. Our airport had barely two incoming flights a day. Perhaps the greatest danger was that we might begin to accept these conditions as normal. Because when people live with the same difficulties for long enough, their expectations begin to change. They stop asking what is possible and concentrate instead on getting through the day. I knew we could do better.

I had spent much of my working life building businesses, dealing with challenges and making decisions about the future. I understood that Enugu possessed enormous resources, but I also knew that those resources would achieve very little unless we created the conditions for people to use them.

Our greatest resource was already here: the people of Enugu. What was missing was a clear direction, the determination to pursue it, and a government prepared to take responsibility for the results.

When I presented my original Statement of Purpose, I set out an ambition that some people considered almost impossible. We proposed to grow Enugu’s economy from approximately $4.4 billion to at least $30 billion within eight years, making our state one of Nigeria’s three leading economies.

We also committed ourselves to the long-term ambition of eliminating poverty. Those were enormous goals. I knew that. But I wanted us to understand the scale of the change required.

An economy cannot grow substantially if businesses cannot operate safely, if electricity is unreliable, if roads are impassable, or if young people leave school without the skills they need.

These problems are connected. They have to be addressed together. So, we began by identifying the foundations of a functioning state: security, education, healthcare, infrastructure, productive industries and institutions capable of delivering results.

And we made some difficult choices. We committed an unusually large share of our resources to education because we recognised that the future of Enugu would depend upon the abilities of its children.

We began restoring security and normal economic activity. We invested in roads and transport, planned improvements to healthcare and set about attracting the businesses and industries that would create employment.

I also knew that government itself had to change. For too long, public announcements had been treated as achievements. A project could be celebrated at its commencement and then disappear from public attention.

I wanted a different standard.

If we promise a school, people should be able to visit it. If we announce a road, they should be able to travel on it. If we say that public services are improving, citizens should be able to tell us whether that is true.

This is why accountability, measurable performance and public participation were written into our original Statement of Purpose. We were asking the people of Enugu to place their confidence in a programme of substantial change. We therefore had an obligation to demonstrate, through our work, that their confidence was justified.

Distinguished Guests, Today, I can stand before you and point to changes that have taken place across our state.

One of the earliest and most important was the restoration of normal activity on Mondays. I remember how deeply the sit-at-home restrictions had affected people’s lives. The fear was real, and the economic consequences were considerable.

Today, people are going about their business with a freedom that had been denied to them for far too long. A trader can plan a full working week. Children can attend school. Businesses can receive customers, move goods and keep their employees working.

It may seem strange that we should celebrate something as ordinary as being able to go to work on Monday. But anyone who lived through those years understands its importance.

Security gave us a foundation upon which other changes could begin.

We turned our attention to the condition of our roads and the movement of people around the state.

Road construction is often discussed in kilometres and contract values. Most people experience it rather differently. They know the road that used to damage their vehicles, the journey that took too long, or the difficulty of getting produce from a farm to a market.

These are the experiences that matter. We have undertaken substantial road development and begun introducing a more organised transport system, including new buses and terminals.

Our ambition is to make movement around Enugu safer, more comfortable and more dependable, while connecting communities to the opportunities being created across the state.

The same thinking informs our work in aviation. When we assumed office, Enugu had barely two incoming flights a day. In our recent review, we counted more than fifteen.

That change tells us something about the renewed interest in our state. Through Enugu Air and our wider aviation plans, we want to strengthen the connections between Enugu, the rest of Nigeria and international markets.

A businessperson should be able to reach customers and partners without unnecessary difficulty. Investors should be able to visit our state. People who have made their lives elsewhere should find it easier to return, visit family and participate in our economy.

Of course, improved air travel alone will not transform the life of someone living in a rural community. But a growing economy needs these connections, and our responsibility is to ensure that the opportunities they generate reach much further.

That brings me to education. I have always believed that the most important investment we can make is in the abilities of our children.

Consider the world into which a child entering school today will eventually graduate. Technology is already changing the way people work. Some occupations will disappear, others will be transformed, and entirely new industries will emerge. That child needs an education that prepares them to think independently, solve problems, communicate well and adapt to circumstances we cannot yet predict. This is the thinking behind our 260 Smart Green Schools, designed to bring a new standard of education to every ward in Enugu State. We want children in our rural communities to have access to the kind of learning opportunities that parents might once have believed were available only in the most privileged schools.

Imagine what that could mean for a family whose children are the first generation to receive such an education. A daughter might develop the skills to build an agricultural business using modern methods. A son might become an engineer, a software developer or a skilled technician. Another child might become a teacher or a healthcare professional and return to serve the community in which they grew up.

We cannot know exactly what each child will become. But we can give them a stronger foundation from which to choose. That is why education occupies such a central place in our development programme. And we must ensure that the economy grows alongside it. There would be little satisfaction in educating a generation of talented young people if they could find no opportunity to put their abilities to work.

Our plans for agriculture, industry, technology, energy and commerce are intended to create those opportunities.

Take agriculture: Enugu has fertile land, experienced farmers and communities with generations of knowledge about food production.

Yet many farmers still struggle with poor access to equipment, storage, processing facilities and markets. They work hard, take considerable risks and often receive too little of the final value of what they produce.

We want to build an agricultural economy in which more of that value remains here. Think of a farmer who grows cassava. If the crop can be processed locally, it creates work beyond the farm. Someone operates the equipment. Someone maintains it. Someone packages the finished product. Others transport and sell it.

The income generated by that activity can support families and create further businesses within the community. Now imagine similar opportunities developing around other crops and agricultural products across Enugu. That is the practical meaning of agricultural industrialisation.

Our plans for energy and industrial development follow the same logic. Reliable electricity can change the prospects of a small business. A tailor can work more efficiently. A food processor can preserve produce. A manufacturer can operate equipment without constantly depending on expensive alternative power.

We have set out major ambitions for increasing electricity generation and attracting industrial investment because these are essential to the kind of economy we want to build. Some of these undertakings are long-term. Their benefits will develop over several years, and we must be realistic about the work involved. But we cannot afford to postpone them.

I also want to speak about healthcare. For a parent with a sick child, the most important question is whether good medical attention is available when it is needed.

For an expectant mother, it is whether she can receive proper care during pregnancy and childbirth.

For an elderly person, it is whether treatment can be obtained without travelling an unreasonable distance or placing an impossible burden on the family.

These are the circumstances against which our healthcare investments must be judged.

We have been working to improve primary healthcare facilities and strengthen services across the state. We are also investing in the wider systems needed to make healthcare more effective.

There is still work ahead, particularly in ensuring that improvements reach every community. And I want to acknowledge that openly. I know that some people listening today are already experiencing the benefits of the changes we have made. Others are still waiting for a road to be completed, a facility to become fully operational, or a new economic opportunity to reach their community.

I understand that frustration. A government must be judged by the experiences of all its citizens, including those who have yet to see the full benefit of its work. That is why our programme must continue, and why we must remain willing to listen and make corrections.

Now consider the larger investments we are pursuing. We are working to expand Enugu’s aviation connections, develop tourism destinations, attract major hospitality investment, improve electricity supply and create new areas for business and residential development.

Some people will understandably ask what these projects have to do with their daily lives. It is a fair question. A new hotel can bring visitors and create demand for food, transport, maintenance, laundry, construction and many other services. A tourism destination can support local businesses. Better electricity can make investment in manufacturing more attractive.

But government must do more than hope that these benefits spread. We must help our people acquire the skills, access the finance and establish the businesses that allow them to participate. A large project should create possibilities for many smaller enterprises. That is how economic development begins to reach into households and communities.

We have made substantial progress in restoring Enugu’s position as a place where people want to live, work, invest and visit.

The changes are visible, and the scale of our ambition is becoming clearer. We should take pride in what has been achieved, while recognising how much remains to be done.

My fellow citizens, there is a reason I have spent time today looking back at where we began and examining the progress we have made.

I want us to understand the opportunity now before us. We are living through a period of extraordinary change. Technology is reshaping industries across the world. The way food is produced, goods are manufactured, businesses are managed and knowledge is shared is changing faster than at any previous point in our lives. The opportunities created by these changes are considerable, but they will not be distributed equally. Places that invest in education, infrastructure, skills and productive enterprise will be better prepared to benefit. Those that fail to prepare may find themselves falling further behind. This matters enormously for Enugu.

We have a young population, talented people, valuable natural resources and a long history of enterprise. We also have a generation of children growing up at a time when the possibilities available to them could be greater than anything their parents experienced.

But those possibilities depend upon the choices we make now. A young person who wants to establish a business needs more than encouragement. They need access to skills, customers, finance and dependable infrastructure.

A farmer who wants to increase production needs practical support and a market in which the additional effort can be rewarded. A community that wants better healthcare or education needs functioning institutions and a government that responds to its concerns. These are the connections we must strengthen in the years ahead.

Our Statement of Purpose was built around the ambition of creating a productive economy and improving the lives of our people. That remains our direction. The next phase must deepen the work already begun, bring projects into full operation and extend their benefits to communities that are still waiting. We must also create more opportunities for our young people to participate in the industries of the future.

The development of technology, modern agriculture, manufacturing, tourism and other productive sectors will require a workforce with new capabilities. Our schools, training institutions, businesses and government agencies must work together to develop them.

There is urgency in this work because time matters. A child who receives a poor education today cannot simply recover those years later. A business that closes because it cannot operate may never reopen. A talented young person who leaves because there is no opportunity at home may build their future somewhere else.

We cannot afford to lose another generation of potential. And this is why the moment before us is so important. The foundations we have begun to establish give us an opportunity to move faster and achieve more. The decisions we make over the coming years will determine how widely the benefits of this transformation are shared and how firmly they become established.

I believe Enugu is capable of becoming one of the great centres of economic and social progress in Nigeria. But that future will depend upon the continued effort of government, the confidence of investors, the enterprise of our businesses and the participation of our people.

Which brings me to the most important invitation I want to make today.

My dear people of Enugu, when we began this journey, I asked you to believe that our state could become something greater. Today, I am asking you to become more deeply involved in making that future a reality. Government can create the conditions for progress, but the energy that sustains it comes from the people. It comes from the teacher who takes responsibility for the children in her classroom, the business owner who trains young employees, the farmer who introduces a better method of production, and the community that comes together to solve a problem.

It also comes from citizens who ask difficult questions, demand accountability and contribute their ideas to the decisions that affect them. I want that relationship between government and citizens to grow stronger.

Our original Statement of Purpose committed us to transparent government, measurable performance and public participation. These commitments matter because people are more likely to take responsibility for something when they understand it and have a meaningful voice in shaping it.

When a new school opens in your community, I want you to regard its success as a shared responsibility. The government must provide the facilities, teachers and resources. Parents and community leaders also have an important part to play in supporting the children who attend it.

When a new road connects your community to a market, I want us to consider the businesses and opportunities that connection could support.

When an investment creates the possibility of employment, I want our young people to be ready with the skills and determination to take advantage of it.

And when government falls short, I want citizens to speak up and help us identify what needs to improve. This is how a stronger relationship between the people and their institutions is built. I am particularly conscious of the responsibility we carry towards the next generation. Our children will inherit the state we leave behind. They will live with the consequences of our decisions, our investments and the opportunities we either created or failed to recognise.

And I believe that when they look back upon this period in Enugu’s history, they should be able to say that something important happened here. That a generation of people looked honestly at the condition of their state, decided it could do better and began the difficult work of changing its future. That the progress continued because people across Enugu chose to participate.

We have already seen what can happen when a state begins to regain its confidence. People return to their businesses. Investment begins to grow. New institutions emerge. Young people see possibilities that were previously difficult to imagine.

There is a growing sense that Enugu is moving forward again. But the greatest part of this journey is still before us. I spoke earlier about the dawn. In May 2023, we stood at the beginning of a new day. There was uncertainty about what lay ahead, but we knew that the time had come to change direction.

Today, the first light has given way to morning. We can see the work taking shape around us, and we can begin to appreciate the scale of what is possible. We are now in the heat of the morning, when the real labour of the day must be done. And I want every citizen of Enugu to recognise the importance of this hour.

Because history sometimes gives a people an opportunity to change the direction of their future. Such opportunities do not remain open indefinitely.

The world is moving quickly, and we must be prepared to move with it.

This is one moment in the long history of Enugu. This is a moment of extraordinary possibility for our people. And I believe this is the moment we must seize. The work we have begun needs the commitment of all of us.

I ask you to bring your ideas, your skills, your enterprise and your experience into the life of our state. Take an interest in what is happening in your community. Help us identify problems and develop practical solutions. Encourage our young people to learn, create and build their futures here.

We have the opportunity to leave something of lasting value to those who come after us: A state with stronger institutions, a more productive economy, better opportunities for its children and communities whose people can take pride in what they have achieved together.

That is the Enugu I want us to build. And I believe we have reached the point in our history when we can begin to make that ambition real.

My fellow citizens, the morning is upon us. There is much work ahead, and I am ready to continue that work with you.

Ndi Enugu, Tomorrow Is Here.

Thank you.

Mbah, Govenor of Enugu State, presented the manifesto performance  scorecard at Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu