By Francis Edeh
By popular acclamation, the definition of democracy that is more widely accepted and given to be quoted often is the one by Abraham Lincoln which defines democracy as “the government of the people, by the people and for the people”.
Perhaps, because of its organic consideration inherent in this definition which places a great premium on the people as the ultimate decider of their fate, at least in the proper context of the majority of the people having the choice to elect those who will govern them and at the same time over sight such instituted government for effective delivery of public goods to the electorate.
Therefore, the clamour for democracy lies more in the fact or the belief that it will more than any other form of government lead to the enthronement of good governance which promotes human rights and rule of law, transparency and capabilities in public administration.
While this will in turn help government to meet up with the demands of the people through deliverables such as education, health, water, good roads, employment and prompt payment of salaries, housing and urban renewal, security of lives and property, that we all tag as dividend of democracy in our clime.
In that vein, those who followed the campaign promises of Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah and perused carefully his campaign manifesto, could agree that he raised the stakes high with promises of turning the fortunes of the state around in the most radical way possible.
Infact, some people were doubting how he would be able to do those things he said that he would do and with which resources?
Now, one can freely report that our individual and collective bargaining for a fair recompense by the way of instituting policies, programmes and projects that will impact greatly on the lives of the people are being met by our award winning governor.
Take a look at what he has been able to achieve within three years of his first term in office as Governor of Enugu State:
REVENUE MOBILIZATION; he has Continued the implementation of the various measures aimed at reforming the State Internal Revenue Board to strengthen its operational efficiency, plug remaining avenues of leakage and ensured optimal collection and accounting for taxes, levies and rates due to the state through sustained Single Treasure Account Payment which yielded the State a whopping sum of N406.7 billion as IGR by the end of 2025, the highest in the history of the state.
And still looking ahead to generating up to N870 billion in this year 2026.
This record is unprecedented in the history of Enugu State, and with comes the much needed financial clout to deliver on his campaign promises that many had thought were quite staggering at that time.
And which explicitly underscores this years humongous State budget of N1.62 trillion with 80% of it going to capital expenditure.
And that is because of the sheer size of the project and investment that is ongoing in the state.
TRANSPORT AND AVIATION
Of a truth, His Excellency, Governor Peter Mbah is working round the clock to take Enugu State to greater heights. The Enugu Air narrative is like a miracle in the midst of tales of failures of like ventures in the aviation industry.
But with commitment and dedication and application of requisite expertise, Enugu Air stands out as a success story even from inception.
From the initial six planes in its fleet, the government is set to make it up to 20 planes by this budget year and already the state government has already paid #10 billion equity contribution to concession of Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu which would ease the completion of the International wing this year to make Enugu a truly regional aviation hub.
In land transportation, the purchase and deployment of 100 CNG ultra modern buses on major routes across the state has cut transport costs by up to 30 percent.
And this is complemented by over 25,000 commercial vehicles registered in a unified biometric system, improving identity verification, reducing crime and enabling digital ticketing integration.
Added to this is the building 80 bus shelters across the state to provide weather protection and organized queuing among passengers.
In addition to this massive infrastructure in the transport sector, Enugu State Government is commencing a 135.3km intrastate standard gauge rail project this year to enhance connectivity within towns and communities in the state.
It had also got permission from the Federal Government of Nigeria to stretch the modern railway line from Aba, Abia State to Enugu with the state bearing the cost of this federal government facility to ensure an integrated regional economic operations.
Also the building and commissioning of ultramodern transport terminals in key locations across the state with modern facilities to improve travel convenience, efficiency and job creation added great value and ease of movement to commuters across the state.
EDUCATION; Of all the sectors of sectors of Enugu State economy, none has received as much attention as that of education in sectoral allocations. In fact for the third straight year as Governor Peter Mbah confirmed in a recent interview, over 30% of the entire budget has been allocated to education.
And when he talks with delight and enthusiasm about the building and equipment of 260 Smart Green schools in the 260 political wards of the state, it is because he is bent on making sure that our children are imbued with 21st century skills.
These Schools will have Smart hubs with Internet boards, tablets, robotics, Artificial intelligence (AI), Virtual and Augmented Realities and mechatronics engineering facilities.
Additionally, free meals, uniforms and other essentials are provided for pupils and students to ensure equal learning opportunities.
The higher educational institutions like Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, Enugu State College of Education Technical (ESCET) among others have been receiving increased funding for payments for staff salaries and boosting of infrastructure development and facilities upgrade.
SECURITY; In the wake of spikes of insecurity, the state security architecture was remodeled to bring it up to speed with the emerging dimensions of insecurity and criminality.
To this end the state government took the bold step of decisively ending the unlawful Monday Sit at home enforced by non-state actors, thereby restoring public confidence, economic activities and freedom of movement.
The state also strengthened coordination among security agencies, Police, DSS, Military and Local Vigilantes through joint task forces and integrated operations.
They were also provided with AI embedded surveillance cars equipped with facial and license plate recognition, GPS tracking and live-feed transmission to the Command Center.
One of the most innovative additions to the solving techniques provided by Enugu State Government is the state of the art security operations hub established with Artificial intelligence capabilities for real-time surveillance, data analysis and rapid emergency response.
Added to this is additional recruitment of Neighborhood watch and Forest Guards personnel, their training and equipment to enhance community policing in order enhance the overall security services to the people of Enugu State.
OTHER SECTORS; Governor Peter Mbah’s success story and fidelity in meeting up with his campaign promises are also manifest in the building of the world famous International Conference Center that have continued to attract customers from across the world and getting booked all year round complimented by the magnificent 5 Star hotel that is nearing completion at the same premisese, which promises to be a new discovery in hospitality business in South East Nigeria and the come back to life Presidential Hotel, Enugu, an unmistakeably hallmark of Governor Peter Mbah’s exquisite taste and love for enduring legacy.
All these projects have the potential to boost our tourism with the added value to our internal generated revenue.
And talking about tourism, the state government recently convened a stakeholders forum on the Nsude Pyramid, Elijah Iron Site and Okpogho Slag Mound, creating a pathway for state and national monument recognition.
This step will strengthen heritage tourism in the state and opens new streams of income to the government and people in the areas that are endowed with these monuments.
In the health sector, Governor Peter Mbah Is building a 5 Star International hospital within the Okpara Square axis where the International Conference Center and the 5 Star International Hotel are sited, which will be equipped with the best hospital equipment in the world that money can buy and managed by an international firm reputed to be among the best hospital managers in the world.
And for the spread of health facilities across the state, the building of 260 type 2 hospitals across the 260 wards in Enugu State and the upgrade and re-equipping and re-staffing in 23 facilities across the state show that the health of the people of Enugu State are paramount to the administration of His Excellency, Barr Peter Mbah.
On roads, Governor Peter Mbah has built and rehabilitated 293 roads statewide, improving connectivity, reducing travel time and supporting socio-economic activities across the state. And he has done more stretches of road than any other governor of the state.
Meanwhile, the double lane Abakpa/ Ugwuogo/Opi Road and the double lane Owo/Ubahu /Umualor/ Neke/ Ikem Road stands out as a testament to commitment and dedication towards bringing the much needed democracy dividends to the people of Enugu State.
In conclusion, His Excellency, Governor Peter Mbah’s revolutionary enterprise in the field of agriculture and with more than 260 Smart State farms across the state in order to ensure food sufficiency and value added chain in agro business, and his darring efforts in revitalizing moribund state industries and building of new ones may have to wait for another day and time to ensure adequate capturing.
