Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah at the weekend received a good appraisal at a dialogue series organised by the Enugu State Coalition for Progress held at the Adada House, Nsukka.
In his opening remarks, a former secretary to Enugu State government, Prof Simon Otuanya, lauded the governor over his giant strides in many sectors in less than two years.
Otuanya stated that Enugu State, which was ordinarily a civil service state, has been turned into an industrial hub by the governor within a short time.
He noted that a few weeks ago, the Coalition of Progress in Enugu State passed a vote of confidence on the governor and endorsed him to continue the great work.
He explained that the Enugu State Coalition for Progress decided in their wisdom to brand the different event ‘Dialogue Series 1’ to take stock of what the governor has done in the past two years.
Otuanya noted that the state has experienced what it has not experienced before in the education sector.
A former Economic Advisor to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Osita Ogbu, noted that Mbah made it clear that he would develop the entire state.
Ogbu, who was one of the discussants at the event, stressed that on assumption of office, the governor made it categorically clear that he would complete all abandoned projects.
“Mbah has come to say I will develop all constituencies; that is a good idea. We are among the three states in the federation that can say bye to Federal Allocation, remember others have come without a framework,” he stated.
He expressed surprise over how the governor was able to increase the internally generated revenue to a very high level.
On education, Ogbu said after analysis, it was observed that Enugu State is the highest spender on education in the country.
He noted that tourism is beginning to return to Enugu, adding that Mbah is building an entrepreneur state.
He, however, called on local government chairmen to key into the governor’s “Tomorrow is Here Mantra.”
Another discussant and member representing Igboeze/ Udenu federal constituency, Dennis Agbo, described Mbah as a performing governor.
Agbo, who recently defected from the Labour Party to the PDP, said Enugu North has benefitted a lot from Mbah because he does allocation of projects in the wards.
He stated that when allocations are done based on number of wards, Enugu North will get the highest because it has the highest wards in the state.
Also, military veteran, Major General Victor Ezeugwu (rtd) expressed happiness that the governor has started doing most of the things some retired stakeholders in the security sector from Enugu North proposed to him.
He described Mbah as a governor with a listening ear, noting that he has promised to increase the salaries of some local security operators like the vigilantes, among others.
He assured that a lot was being done to address issues in Uzo Uwani and Isi Uzo areas and urged the people to support the government.
He said he was happy that the governor has brought technology in the fight against insecurity.
