By Onyiba Shepherdman Iyioku
On October 4, 2025, Governor Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah held a significant meeting with key stakeholders of the Enugu West Senatorial Zone.
The gathering, which brought together academia, professionals, entrepreneurs, and businessmen from the five Local Government Areas of Aninri, Awgu, Ezeagu, Oji River, and Udi, was a platform for dialogue and a reaffirmation of Governor Mbah’s vision to transform Enugu State.
Chief Frank Anioma, Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, set the tone for the meeting, praising Governor Mbah’s commitment to revitalizing Enugu’s cultural and tourism ecosystem.
He commended the governor’s rapid and strategic infrastructural drive, noting that it has brought about significant development to the state.
Governor Mbah expressed his deep appreciation for the presence of leaders and stakeholders from all parts of Enugu West, describing them as “friends, brothers, and leaders.”
He emphasized that the meeting was not for long speeches but to feel the pulse of the people and reaffirm the government’s commitment to their aspirations.
The Governor highlighted the importance of accountability; hence, his first official assignment after his oath of office was to sign Executive Order 001, which is simply the Citizens Charter of Engagement (Town Hall Meetings).
He said that having feedback from people like them is critical in guiding his government in doing the right thing.
Governor Mbah told them that his manifesto during his campaign in 2023 sounded esoteric and utopic because, to many, the idea of building 10,000 roads in eight years and other huge projected projects was like the rhetoric of an average Nigerian politician.
He acknowledged that it is not yet Uhuru in some of his targets, like the issue of water which he promised every home within 180 days.
The Governor said that his administration has a water reserve that is more than enough for Enugu Urban residents, but most of the pipes underneath the ground are weak and cannot contain the pressure of the water, which keeps bursting these pipes at various locations when it is pushed out for reticulation.
Hence, they are gradually replacing those rusted pipes, and very soon, clean pipe-borne water will be made available for the Enugu people.
The Governor reaffirmed his administration’s goal to place Enugu among the top three economies in Nigeria, with an ambitious plan to grow the state’s GDP by 27%. Taking the annual total growth of the economy from $4 billion to $30 billion.
He emphasized the importance of a knowledge-based economy and invested ₦300 billion in building 260 Smart Green Schools across the 260 electoral wards in Enugu State.
He highlighted that what is important is not just the structure or the equipment but the investment in the index of the child’s beneficiary.
On healthcare and power, the Governor disclosed plans to renovate the 51 general hospitals in the state, complete the international hospital located within Rangers Avenue, and put Parklane hospital to an international standard in terms of equipment and service delivery.
He talked about the ongoing construction of 260 type 2 hospitals targeted at bringing health services closer to the people at the grassroots levels.
The Governor said that with Enugu Power Holding, they plan to generate 1,000 megawatts of electricity through a partnership with a German company, which will enable Enugu to sell power to the national grid.
The Governor also highlighted the completion of the International Conference Centre (ICC), which has placed Enugu as the hub of conference states in the entire West Africa.
The success of the Nigeria Bar Conference, held last month, has attracted other clients, and the state is looking forward to hosting ECOWAS, National Art and Culture Festival, etc., before the year runs out.
In the transport sector, he said that before December, an additional six aircraft of Enugu Air will arrive, and Enugu Air will be flying around the West Africa sub-region. By next year, more international flights will be coming in and taking off from Enugu.
On hotels, he emphasized that Marriott hotels and a few other international hotel management firms will be operating some five 5-Star hotels in Enugu that are being constructed.
All these investments are intentionally designed to make Enugu a business destination not only for Nigeria but for Africa.
The participants from one LGA to the other, with their spokespersons, acknowledged and praised the governor’s landmark achievements within the space of 2 years.
They praised the administration’s commitment to transparency and accountability, noting that Governor Mbah’s leadership style has brought about a new sense of hope and optimism to the people of Enugu State.
However, they made some requests before the governor, ranging from insecurity in places like Udi and Awgu axis, access roads, higher institutions like State University, reviving of dams, reviving of Ojiriver power station, reviving of Ojiriver games village, rice mill in Aninri, gas plant, cashew processing site, to mention but a few.
Governor Mbah responded by telling them that his administration is carefully designing Enugu West as a premier tourism destination, citing the development of the longest zip line in Africa and other eco-tourism experiences.
He expressed his administration’s transformational agenda, which is driven by a sincere desire to set Enugu State on a path of irreversible progress.
The meeting concluded with a sense of optimism and renewed commitment to the governor’s vision for Enugu West and the State in general.
As Governor Mbah noted, “We are not benchmarking our performance against national standards. We are setting the pace. We want to lead.”
The stakeholders are confident that under Governor Mbah’s leadership, Enugu State will achieve its full potential and become a model sub-national economy in Nigeria.
