…Lists plans on railway, aviation, electricity, others
Chetanne Chinelo & Chinelo Anekwe, Enugu
Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah has rendered an account of his stewardship in the eighteen months of his administration to the citizens and residents of Enugu State.
Mbah who engaged extensively with the people of Enugu State in a town hall meeting held on Saturday, December 15, 2024 at the Old Governors Lodge noted that the central point of his government’s policies were the people.
The governor who took time to reel our sectoral achievements and interventions carried out by his administration since assumption of office on May 29, 2023 called on the people to support his policies and hold him accountable.
He said: “A year and half ago, I signed a document that made me accountable to the people of Enugu State. The first action I took after I became Governor was to sign 3 Executive Orders which are the development of the Citizens Charter – provision of jobs, social amenities etc that improves citizens welfare; to improve a new socioeconomic rebirth that will achieve a 0% poverty rate headcount index and to improve Enugu’s GDP from $4.4bn dollars to $30bn.
“At 18 months, we’re not halfway through our tenure but we’re on track. History lessons have taught us that development waits for no one.
“The need for portable water in every household and the need for children to be inculcated with the right knowledge to compete adequately in a rapidly growing environment and also the need for quality healthcare system is what drives us.
“In the last 18 months, we have made the people of ndi Enugu the central point of government policies through expansion of quality steady healthcare, bringing agricultural industry to scale, creating job opportunities, abolishing moribund infrastructural facilities etc. No society can ever achieve growth without the support and sacrifice of the people”.
Below are some of his paraphrased and quoted submissions on sectoral interventions as captured by our Correspondent:
WATER SUPPLY: We have raised water production from occasional 2 million litres to 120 million litres a day in 180 days. The only time you would have to appreciate the magnitude of challenges associated with those tertiary pipes is after you have allowed water to flow through them, and some of them after decades. That was when we started noticing burst pipes. We also started noticing that some of the pipes were still asbestos pipes and we needed to replace them. So, in terms of production, we have been able to achieve 150% of our daily production needs. What we are now dealing with is the last mile; making sure that we get water to the last mile. Doing that, especially given the magnitude of what we have observed, is also cost intensive. But we are now fortunate that we have investors – and this is not loans or grants – but investors, who have undertaken to play in the downstream of our water management system. So, these investors are going to invest a hundred million dollars to ensure that they replace all the pipes leading to the last mile. So, 1.5 million households have been targeted for a start. That work will start in January in earnest. And they would also ensure it is sustained because they will ensure that it is metered. They will metre these homes as they do the tertiary pipelines. So, for those of you that are yet to get public water, you can be sure that when we connect all these pipes and metres to your homes, what you may be paying will be barely 20 per cent of what you are currently spending to source for water. But most importantly, you are guaranteed clean water so that once you turn on your tap, water will flow.
SECURITY: Tales of how bad things have been seems now to be like a fable because of the massive success achieved in this area. The illegal sit-at-home which has crippled businesses has become a thing of the past and things have normalized. We have also put into consideration necessary measures to monitor security e.g installing highway cameras. We have established a Distress Response Squad (DRS) that swiftly responds when criminal issues arise. The aim of DRS is to boost the state of security in the state. We have made over 100 procurements of vehicles for DRS and we will make other procurements for other security agencies. Our Command and Control Center will be turned on in a few days.
EDUCATION: The emphasis of education cannot be over flogged. At 33% of our total budget, education has the highest allocation in our budget. This is because every country’s socioeconomic phase is tied to its educational level. It shows the level of a nation’s working capital. We see the evidence in our smart schools where local children are exposed to smart technologies of learning which have built and developed them as problem solvers etc. As we speak, there is active work going on in the 246 wards in the state. The contractors have been paid and they have their timelines. We also put in measures to actively control and monitor them. By September 2025, we expect that our children should be able to access these smart schools. Also, we have a plan of training smart teachers precisely 11,000 teachers by June 2025 so that they can be adequately equipped for smart teaching. There are also plans and work going on to establish smart secondary schools so that children that pass through smart schools will not be shocked when they enter secondary schools. In the 2025 budget, 1/3 of the budget is allocated to education. The children’s future is what matters and we must consistently invest in education.
TOURISM: With the serenity, abundance of waterfalls and scenic landscapes, Enugu presents a unique charm to visitors. But they’re like rough diamonds which need a little sheen. We have plans to construct the first canopy walkway at Ngwo Waterfalls and plans are currently underway at Awhum. The goal is to make Enugu the major conference center in Africa. Central to this is the International Conference Center. We hope to achieve 3 million visitors every year. The next town hall meeting which will be around the first quarter of 2025 will be held at the Auditorium of the International Conference Center. Conference centers help to boost economic growth.
SOCIAL INCLUSION: We have already domesticated the Disability Act. So, we already have the Enugu State Disabilities Law. I am pledging here that we are going to inaugurate the Enugu State Commission for People with Disabilities within the first quarter of 2025.
TRANSPORTATION: We have plans of establishing bus shelters and active railway stations by the first quarter of 2025. We also have plans of establishing direct international flights from Enugu to China etc as well as direct flights to other states in Nigeria. We have plans to make Enugu the transportation Hub.
ELECTRICITY: About electricity, we promised that by 2026 that there will be uninterrupted power supply and we are working actively to achieve that. We are also having meetings to find a way to take Enugu State out of the National Grid so that we won’t be experiencing the challenges that comes with the National Grid.