By Nnamani Arinze Darlington
In just three years, Enugu State has witnessed a transformation so sweeping that it literally stares one in the face. But in an era of cynicism when obvious truths can so easily be denounced without the least scruple, the architects of such unprecedented development have compiled it into a single, formidable record. And the result is truly mindblowing: more than 10,000 milestones across infrastructure, human capital, revenue, industry, and governance.
On Wednesday, September 9th at the International Conference Centre in Enugu, Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah’s administration publicly presented the compendium titled ‘A Thousand and One Reasons Why Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah Should be Re-elected as Governor of Enugu State’. The document is not mere rhetoric. It is a ledger of concrete delivery that positions Enugu as a state on an irreversible trajectory toward prosperity. The structured publication is evidence-based and reflects a commitment to accountability.
At the heart of the record stands tangible physical assets. Over 1,521 kilometres of roads have been constructed or reconstructed, knitting communities together and opening economic corridors. More than 7,000 classrooms have been delivered, while 260 Type-2 Primary Healthcare Centres now stand ready to serve citizens closer to home.
The New Enugu Smart City is rising, Enugu Air is flying, and long-dormant state assets have been revived from1 1decades of neglect. A robust fiscal performance underpins these gains. Internally generated revenue surged from ₦26.8 billion in 2022 to ₦406.7 billion in 2025. Crucially, only ₦51.5 billion (12.6 per cent) came from tax sources; ₦355.2 billion (87.4 per cent) flowed from non-tax revenues unlocked through reforms, Consolidated Demand Notices, the Treasury Single Account, electronic payment systems, and rigorous controls that plugged leakages.
Governor Mbah understands that true development is one that doesn’t put a brunt on the masses. So, rather than running the simplistic route and burdening citizens with higher taxes, the administration monetised the state’s assets and sealed fiscal holes.
Unlike what had long seemed the norm where recurrent expenditure enjoys the budgetary lion’s share, capital expenditure has dominated successive budgets: 79 per cent in 2024, 86 per cent in 2025, and 80 per cent in the 2026 estimates. This is clear evidence of a government committed to prioritizing investment.
Agriculture and industrialisation form another pillar. A ₦100 billion investment is expanding Enugu United Palm Products Limited from 6,700 hectares to approximately 20,000 hectares under a public-private partnership with Diamond Stripe Limited (Pragmatic Palms Limited). Commercial production of refined palm products has begun, with a further $2.2 million committed to a refinery for palm oil and palm-kernel products.
The 10,000-hectare Enugu Tribu Songhai Farms in Ezeagu is being revived; Premier Cashew Industry is targeted for restoration; and 200-hectare farm estates are planned across the state’s 260 political wards. Complementary projects include the Nortra Tractor Assembly and Service Plant (in partnership with Denmark’s ODK Group), an Integrated Livestock Development Centre at Ubahu/Amankanu, and mechanised agricultural initiatives with the South East Development Commission.
Industrial revival is equally striking. Nigergas Limited, established in 1962 and idle for decades, was brought back to life in August 2025 with modern equipment producing medical and industrial gases. It currently delivers 100 cubic metres of oxygen and 45 cubic metres of acetylene per hour, with plans to add nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, and compressed natural gas.
Other remarkable strides include the completed International Conference Centre, the upgrade of Hotel Presidential, the ongoing revival of Sunrise Flour Mills, and other strategic interventions.
In education, the Smart Green School programme is unarguably the poster image of the unfolding renaissance in Enugu State. But this initiative has drawn criticism which, sadly, is rooted either in misunderstanding – or outright mischeif.
Designed around experiential learning from early childhood, it integrates technology, robotics, artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, and the Internet of Things. Pupils receive free uniforms and daily meals. Smart/Model Secondary Schools are being developed across the 17 local government areas, while Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions are planned for the federal constituencies.
The Government Technical College, Enugu, has been transformed from a dilapidated shell into a modern institution equipped for practical training and capable of accommodating up to 1,000 students.
Aviation completes the picture of expanded horizons. Enugu Air has strengthened connectivity to Abuja, Lagos, and Kano. Regional expansion begins with the planned Enugu-Douala service from 23 September, 2026, to be followed by other West and Central African destinations, with the longer-term goal of direct international links beyond the continent.
Independent assessments corroborate the narrative. The 2026 Phillips Consulting States Performance Index ranked Enugu highest among assessed states for improvement relative to the national average across 37 indicators covering security, education, health, infrastructure, governance, economic development, and fiscal performance. Meanwhile, Enugu climbed from 35th to sixth place in the national ease-of-doing-business rankings compiled by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council.
Governor Mbah’s team has invited critics and prospective challengers to move beyond familiar talking points and present a clear, distinct alternative agenda. The record of the past three years’ roads, classrooms, primary healthcare centres, revenue transformation, industrial rebirth, educational modernisation, and aviation expansion stands as verifiable evidence.
Finally, Mbah is a dreamer, whose convictions amplify the words of Liberia’s ex-President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. According to Johnson-Sirleaf, “If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.”
Mbah’s dreams don’t scare him. They instead scare the bystanders. He comes with a fierce sense of urgency to give meaning and energy to leadership and governance, obviously inspired by his uncommon accomplishments in the private sector. Here, he founded and took Pinnacle Oil and Gas from a small fry and late entrant in the industry, operating from just a one-room apartment and two staff in Lagos to a multi-billion dollar corporate unicorn controlling about 23 per cent of the market share ahead of the hitherto entrenched and major distributors in the downstream petroleum subsector in a record time.
Undoubtedly, Governor Mbah, in the words of the President, is “doing fantastically well” and Ndi Enugu are happier for it. With just 39 months gone by in his four-year term, it is hard to dispute that he is indeed the poster boy of good governance at the sub-national level in Nigeria today.
The achievements already secured constitute a divine mandate for continuity through 2031.
Enugu is no longer waiting for greatness. Under Peter Mbah, it is building it one milestone at a time, and more than 10,000 of them in only three years.
• Nnamani is the Special Assistant to Governor Mbah on Media
