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Mbah: Reviewing one year of effective governance

Published

2 years ago

May 29, 2024

Whirlwindnews

By Hon. Anayo Edeh

It is so often used that it has become a cliché. But notwithstanding the number of times it has been used, the message inherent in it remains as true and germane as when it was first uttered or at any point those in love with, came to hear it. This is the Chinese saying that a thousand journey starts with one step.

But, what many people have not added is the proviso: in what direction is that step?

Yes, the step could in the right or wrong direction. It could be forward or backwards. It could also be in circles. In whichever way, it will still qualify as a step. However, a cursory look at the first steps, of Dr. Peter Mbah, since he was sworn in as Enugu State Governor, nobody is likely to ask the question or be at sea as to which direction, his step is headed and where it would likely land Enugu State, during the pendency of his office. The direction is as important as the impetus of motion, as Woodrow Wilson, former American President, put it.

If the morning foretells the day, then, the achievement of the governor in his first one year in office, which was celebrated on May 29, 2024, is a pointer to his clear direction and impetus of motion. I make haste to say that Mbah’s one year in office has witnessed the conception and commencement of major projects in all sectors that are capable of transforming the economy of Enugu State to give the people a new lease of life.

Let us journey together by assessing some of these steps, not only to underscore the impacts they are not only having already, but project in critical terms how the accomplishment of the visions embedded projects would support the belief that Mbah’s reign will change the course of the history of the state, positively.

For the first time in our history, Enugu is witnessing the construction of 260 World-class Smart Schools and another 260 Health Centres in all the Political Wards in the State. The Smart Schools and Health Centres will be equipped with State-of-the art facilities seen in the developed climes of the world. Today, everybody knows that the world is already in the age of knowledge economy and the most prosperous tomorrow would be those who have accepted the reality of the new global education template that sits on hi-tech.

That Mbah is not only thinking about this, but is already on top of it, speaks very much about how Enugu will turn out in the next few years. Definitely, it is going to sit on the foundation the governor is laying, and by time the skeletons of the architecture are fitted out with bricks irons, and other beautifying elements, Enugu would become the centrepoint of technological takeoff, not only in the South East, but Nigeria, if not Africa.

That is vision. Outside the smart schools, the governor, had within the period, embarked on the drive to recruit more teachers and enhanced their training not only to re-position education in the state, but make a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to counter future challenges and act as springboard for the envisaged quantum development.

Add to it Mbah’s vision in the healthcare sector, through the thorough rehabilitation of hospitals. A visit to the Parklane Hospital, one of the elite government-owned institutions in the state, gives an ample perspective about the new thinking the governor is bringing and how he is keying into healthcare as one of the critical indices of development. The wards have suddenly taken new shape as part of a comprehensive work in his vision to ensure that more people have access to health care in the hospital.

One of the major characteristics of Mbah’s government, is his aggressive construction of roads and bridges to effectively link up all parts of the state and aid commercial activities. No area is spared in this direction. Within the major streets in the state capital, videos of Mbah being greeted by exited residents of Enugu have become one of the regular catalogue of events in the state.

It is irrefutable that poor road infrastructure in the state was hindering both human and vehicular movements and making the evacuation of agricultural produce from the rural areas to urban centres very difficult. Farmers have seen their yields waste as a result of their inability to move them to Urban centres where they are needed more.

But this is changing as the new roads being constructed by the Mbah Administration is already opening up Enugu not only for its people, but the rest of the world, a development, which by extension is expected to attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) to the state. One of the more enchanting part of the story is that most of the roads are also being constructed simultaneously with flyovers for ease of traffic.

For years now, Enugu metropolis, the capital of the South East, from where four other states have been carved has not seen water flow from the public taps, despite promises by various governments. Mbah has promised that his government, would be the last to allow such a parlous story. His promise is that soon, every home in Enugu, would have running water.

The governor is also embarking on some legacy projects. This includes the re-modeling of the Enugu International Conference Centre (EICC) and the construction of a new five-star hotel to enhance it original status and make it the destination for international conferences. The EICC, the Central Terminal Stations, as well as the hotel projects, which includes the revamping of the hitherto comatose Presidential Hotel is expected to help in boosting the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state and create jobs for our youth.

In this direction, the governor is also keying into the area of agriculture and agro-allied projects, among which is the N100billion Palm Deal, – an inroad in the development of palm produce, one of the major mainstays of the economy of the old Eastern Region. The revamping of this particular produce is certainly a masterstroke in re-positioning Enugu economy.

In recognising that all his vision and efforts could be scuttled or run into troubled waters if security of lives and property is not tackled, the governor, is firming up the security architecture in the state, aimed at confronting troublemakers who are causing mayhem in the state. A robust collaboration with security agencies, has remained one to the templates for achieving this.

The governor has not hidden the fact that his intention is to move the state economy from $4 billion to a $30 billion. This is certainly a tall order, given the general downturn of the Nigerian economy. But, regardless, from the picture so far, such an uncommon feat may not be far from being achieved, given that Mbah belongs to an uncommon class as a transformational leader.

As the government marches forward, there is no doubt that Enugu will witness total transformation under this quintessential governor with the gusto to change the direction of things in Enugu. If anything should go to the wager, it is that the state would be among area that would attract the collective attention of Nigerians and the world in general.

One gratifying dimension is that the governor is carrying the workers along in this journey. One of the key achievements in this direction is the lot of pensioners. For this class known as senior citizens, the days of weeping, wailing and gnashing of the teeth, is now over. They now receive their monthly pensions promptly in addition to their gratuities and other emoluments.

Despite the fact that it is not an Oil-producing State, Governor Mbah is using the meagre resources of the State to positively change the lives of the people and place Enugu on the path of irreversible and sustainable development.

Anayo Edeh is the Convener of Nkanu-east Consultative Forum.

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‎BREAKING: Terrorists strikes another school! *Kidnap principal, students, NECO official!

Published

20 hours ago

July 15, 2026

Whirlwindnews

The echoes of the drums rolled out to celebrate the rescue of the 44 teachers and students, kidnapped from some schools in Oyo State, after 56 days in the bush, would surely be disrupted abruptly, with the divergent echoes of a fresh abduction, this time coming from Kogi State.

Reports indicate that the gunmen, struck on Tuesday at the Government Secondary School, Odo-Ekina, in Dekina Local Government Area of the state, abducting four students, the school principal and a National Examinations Council (NECO) ad hoc staff member.

‎Authorities of the Kogi State Police Command, who immediately unleashed their operatives in hot pursuit of the abductors, said the attack occurred at about 5:25 p.m. while the students were writing their NECO examination.

Saliu Oyiza Afusat, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and spokesman of the command, said a combined team of police personnel and other security agencies has launched a search-and-rescue operation following the incident.

Informing that one of the students was actually rescued immediately, she said efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the remaining victims and apprehend the attackers, adding that Naziru Bello Kankarofi, the state Commissioner of Police, alongside the Brigade Commander and the State Security Adviser to the Governor, Commodore Jerry Omodara (Rtd), were already on the way to the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.

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Trump shelves 20 per cent fee for ships on Strait of Hormuz

Published

20 hours ago

July 15, 2026

Whirlwindnews

Oil prices are expected to go down now with the announcement of Donald Trump, US President that he will no longer impose a 20 percent “safe passage” fee on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

The POTUS, hinged his reversal of the decision on the intervention from some Gulf countries, who pleaded with him not to toe the line due to the massive economic impact the decision would make on the region.

Indeed, oil prices had shot up immediately Trump announced the new levy on Monday while declaring the US ‘the guardians of the Hormuz strait,’ a measure which he said was to pay for the cost of guarding the volatile area in order keep supply of oil flowing.

Reports said that Gulf allies of the US worked frantically to get Trump on the phone in time to talk him out of the idea altogether, while a flurry of appeals came from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.

In response, the POTUS, posting on his Truth Social platform, wrote: “Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States.”

Trump, who said the investments would be “MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future,” added that the deals would see factories, plants, and equipment pour into the US at “Historic levels.”

The Gulf nations have committed to invest trillions of dollars in the US, though it remains unclear how much of that they will actually spend over the next several years.

Meanwhile, the US continues to bomb Iran in what appears to be a resumption of active conflict between both countries, despite an ongoing roadmap to end the conflict.

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Fake office: How police pulled out Adeyemi, PFIPC boss from hiding!

Published

20 hours ago

July 15, 2026

Whirlwindnews

Reports say operatives of the Osun State Police Command, and those of the Department of State Services (DSS) had tracking the trail of Adeniyi Adeyemi, controversial Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), for weeks, before he was eventually pulled out of his hole on Tuesday.

However, the duo, were said to have pulled back after failing to track him through his mobile phones, which he had reportedly switched off for about two days, making it difficult to locate him, leaving the stage for the members of the Police Intelligence Response Team (PI-RT) led by Moses Lohor, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).

Lohor, said to have previously served as the Commander of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of Osun State, and reported to have been involved in high-profile security operations and controversies, after taken over fielded his men to pick up signals from their well-oiled signal networks.
Regarded by many Osun residents as one of the key security officers who contributed significantly to the peace and stability enjoyed in Ilesa and other parts of the state during his tenure, he was said to have relied on his contacts before his transfer out of the state, said to have raised concerns from the public about the security situation he would be leaving behind.
His exit from the state was said to be hinged on an incident in 2024, in which he allegedly shot one Iyanda Alowonle, then Chairman of Osun State Motor Transport System, in the stomach at the police station in the state prompting an order for his arrest by then Inspector General of Police (IGP).

His effort was said to have paid off when he successfully tracked down the controversial PFIPC, boss, who was seen on Tuesday evening, in a shot video on social media undergoing interrogation, and eventually handed him over to Ibrahim Gotan, Commissioner of Police in the state.

The PUNCH quoted one of the sources as saying: “The arrest (of Adeyemi) took place on Tuesday morning by the IRT squad, who immediately moved him to Abuja. After he was arrested, he was taken to Ibadan and from there to Abuja.”

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