Opinion of Roosevelt Nnamdi Anigbo
Every administration inherits a history. Some inherit progress; others inherit ruins.
The administration of His Excellency, Barr. Dr. Peter Ndubisi Mbah, inherited near ruins, silent, neglect, decaying ruins buried beneath asphalt, beneath bureaucracy, beneath years of neglect.
What Governor Peter Mbah met was not merely a challenge of governance; it was the aftermath of a collapsed system, roads gasping for breath, infrastructure groaning under age-long decay, water pipelines fossilized in the earth, security stretched thin, and public trust worn fragile.
This was not a government handed a baton; it was one handed rubble.
With sincerity of purpose and an almost impatient zeal for renewal, Governor Mbah stepped in, perhaps unaware, at first, of how deeply the rot had eaten into the bones of Enugu’s water system.
Yet leadership, in its truest form, is not about knowing all things beforehand; it is about confronting realities boldly when they reveal themselves. And confront them he did.
In one decisive sweep, this administration took on roads, water, education, environment, transportation, and security, not sequentially, not cautiously, but simultaneously. Philosophy teaches us that only those willing to embrace complexity can birth transformation.
Within just 24 months, this government has delivered 70 to 80 percent completion across multiple critical sectors. Even in water, arguably the most decayed of all, tremendous, tangible progress has been made.
Let us speak plainly:
To claim that this administration has done nothing about water is not criticism, it is intellectual dishonesty.
Across Enugu, the earth itself bears witness.
From Subway on Ogui Road to Okpara Avenue, OnuAsata to Presidential road, Kenyatta via Timber areas, Aria Road over lapping Camp and Akwata areas, from Main Market corridors, from ShopRite through Trans-Ekulu Bridge, from Abakpa to Agbani Road, Camp GRA and beyond, colossal trenches were opened by Heavy earth-moving machines dug deep into the crust of history, uprooting decades-old, corroded pipes, replacing them with modern water infrastructure, even while new roads were being laid above them, simultaneously.
WHO IS SAYING MBAH IS NOT A GAME CHANGER?
This is not cosmetic governance.
This is surgery.
Philosophy reminds us that renovating an ancient structure often reveals decay unseen by the naked eyes.
The Enugu water crisis is like restoring a colossal old building, its walls may still stand, but its foundations crumble in silence. Or like executing a project in the riverine Niger Delta, where every step forward unveils a new resistance, waterlogged soil, compensation disputes, sabotage, and unseen obstacles.
There are problems you cannot diagnose until you dare to act.
Governor Mbah made a bold promise, 180 days, not out of recklessness, but out of an urgent desire to reset Enugu’s destiny. He was in a hurry because decay does not wait, and poverty has no patience.
That timeline collided with a rot that had been fermenting for decades, aided by systemic sabotage and vested interests, those who profit from water scarcity: tanker operators, water vendors, and entrenched corruption feeding on public suffering.
This is where the human face of the crisis must be seen.
Criticism is essential in democracy, but criticism without appraisal is injustice. Before we condemn, let us measure. Before we shout failure, let us acknowledge effort. Even philosophy insists that judgment must follow understanding.
Governor Peter Mbah did not fold his arms.
He did not look away.
He dug, literally and metaphorically, into the heart of the problem.
Yes, water has not flowed everywhere yet. But history teaches us that the longest rot resists the fastest reform. What matters is direction, commitment, and visible action. On these counts, this administration stands firm.
Peter Mbah has not failed Ndi Enugu.
What we are witnessing is the weight of inherited decay meeting the force of deliberate reform.
This administration deserves patience, fair judgment, and yes, accolades. The water crisis is overwhelming, but it is not unsolvable. And this government is poised, resolute and unrelenting, to bring it to a manageable and lasting end.
Progress is not always loud. Sometimes, it is buried in trenches, waiting for time, truth, and fairness to reveal it.
These are my sincere thoughts. I also believe I bared the mind of so many.
