Opinion of Wordshot Amaechi Ugwele,
The loudest critics of Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah in Enugu are not neutral observers seeking truth or balance. They are entrenched opposition elements whose political survival depends on denial.
No matter what Mbah does, they cannot acknowledge it, because to do so would be to concede ground and weaken their strategic interests. And so, they have adopted the oldest trick in the book, feigning sleep in the midst of daylight.
Everyone knows that the hardest person to wake is not the one who is asleep, but the one pretending to be. These critics were never asleep in the first place; they simply shut their eyes tightly, hoping reality would pass them by.
But reality has refused to tiptoe around them. They are frightened by the scale and speed of the transformation taking place across Enugu State. Governor Mbah is steadily stripping them of campaign ammunition.
His vision-driven leadership, work ethic, and disciplined delivery have left an unmistakable trail of performance across sectors, one that can only be ignored by those acting blind.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the infrastructure rebirth of Enugu city. What was promised is being delivered.
Apart from the grandest, the New Enugu City, district after district, neighbourhood after neighbourhood, street after street, Enugu bears the unmistakable imprint of the Mbah administration.
Roads as old as the Coal City itself, some untouched since their commissioning decades ago, have been reborn as smooth ribbons of asphalt, complete with modern markings and drainage. These are not cosmetic fixes but deep structural corrections.
Take Abakpa, long abandoned to decay in one of the sorriest cases of urban neglect in Nigeria. Driving through it today evokes genuine amazement.
A resident who this writer encountered, visibly excited, pointed to a newly asphalted road gleaming under the sun and declared that Abakpa was no longer on its knees.
He said it was back on its feet and moving fast. That spontaneous declaration captured what data and press statements sometimes cannot. If this is not hope restored, what is it? An opposition loyalist, of course, would pretend not to see it, or dismiss it as nothing worth applauding.
The same story repeats itself across Awkunanaw, Emene, Idaw River, Thinkers Corner, Agbani Road, Uwani, Independence Layout, New Artisan, New Haven, GRA, Gulf Estate, Trans Ekulu, Cornerstone/Timber/Ugbene axis, and many other parts of the Coal City. And more are coming.
What prompted this reflection was witnessing a Ministry of Works scoping team today at Thinkers Corner, deploying modern equipment, including drones, to assess road conditions. To a sincere observer, this inspires confidence. To a sleep-feigning critic, it demands another turn to the pillow.
The critics have also tried to downplay the significant progress made in water provision.
This is both dishonest and intellectually lazy. Enugu is one of Nigeria’s most geologically disadvantaged cities when it comes to potable water, largely due to coal deposits that contaminate underground sources. Despite this, the Mbah administration quickly doubled water production capacity upon assumption of office.
The real challenge soon revealed itself: colonial-era rusted pipes, broken asbestos lines, massive leakages, and years of unchecked encroachment on supply routes.
Fixing such deep-rooted problems requires methodical, round-the-clock work, not magic. But this nuance does not interest critics who thrive on noise rather than facts.
Beyond infrastructure and water, the Mbah administration continues to push Enugu forward in education, healthcare, transport, tourism, and e-governance. Going into details would be overstretching.
They are measurable reforms and not campaign slogans. Yet the professional sleepers refuse to open their eyes, because waking up would mean admitting progress, and admitting progress would collapse their entire narrative. Still, one truth remains immutable. Closing one’s eyes does not stop the sun from rising.
Pretending not to see what Governor Peter Mbah is doing in Enugu does not erase what is plainly visible to the citizens and other Nigerians who widely acclaim him.
The daylight of performance shines on regardless. And the majority of well-meaning, appreciative citizens of Enugu are wide awake. Today, the sun of purposeful governance rises boldly over the Coal City.
It lights up newly paved roads, revitalised communities, flowing reforms, and even the skies, where Enugu Air now roars, carrying Enugu to the world and bringing the world to Enugu. Whether the critics wake up or not, the dawn has already broken.
