Charles Ogbu Goofed on Governor Mbah’s Govt

By Louis Achi

Democracy would lose its defining egalitarianism if it foreclosed the free expression of viewpoints by its adherents, including often unreasoned perspectives by forces that seek to diminish and divide.

Against this backdrop, public communicators who through discipline and intellectual honesty have achieved that delicate, firm balance between viewpoints that enlighten and lift society and contrived commentary that distorts, diminishes and smears, should be appreciated – and the later confronted.

One such dodgy communicator is Mr. Charles Ogbu, the focus of this analysis. He has unwittingly presented himself as a sponsored opposition sniper, dressed up in the borrowed robe of an activist and public affairs commentator. Recently, Ogbu curiously called out Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State. In his disingenuous, scurrilous media writeup, he dismissed the 28-month transformational governance trajectory of the current state administration as a non-starter.

Cut to the bone, Ogbu has simply deliberately weaponized disinformation. Warming up to his contrived demolition project, Ogbu claims that Governor Peter Mbah’s govt “thrives on media hype and propaganda with very little substance,” an absolute position that even in the precision field of physics is an anathema. By not conceding even a genuine developmental thread to the 28-month-old administration immediately raises legitimate suspicions that this fellow is an unimaginative, paid undertaker.

Ogbu condescendingly paints a jaundiced picture of what he alleges the state chief executive has achieved. His words: “Do some roads in the city centre, paint and beautify most of the junctions and roundabouts and announce high-sounding projects like floating an Airline, building smart school in every ward etc.” Haba! Obgu then lands what he probably considers his bitter magnum opus: “What is happening in Enugwu State is asset stripping. And the people are none the wiser.”

Before quickly dealing with Ogbu’s surprisingly ignorant, dismissive references to the Enugu Air and smart schools project, very critical flagship development projects the governor has birthed, it will be germane to educate him on what these really mean to Enugu State and South Eastern Nigeria at large.

Enugu Air, envisioned by Governor Mbah is on a bold mission to connect the Southeast to the world, elevate regional pride, and redefine the flying experience in Nigeria and Africa. Its goal is simple yet ambitious: to become the leading regional airline in Africa and a strategic aviation hub in Nigeria.

Headquartered in the state capital, Enugu Air is a symbol of progress, designed to reflect the dignity, resilience, and entrepreneurial spirit of the Southeast. From seamless service to world-class comfort, the airline promises a travel experience that’s not only reliable and luxurious but deeply rooted in the values and beauty of its people. It celebrates excellence, sustainability, and culture.

Meanwhile, the Smart Green Schools project the governor is birthing are not just school blocks, but a sophisticated factory for Enugu’s future workforce, innovators, and leaders. The Ogbus of this world, with their 12th Century lens, can never make sense of such 21st Century schools.

During the 2025 Children’s Day celebration at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu, themed ‘Children: Our Future, Our Responsibility.’ Governor Mbah succinctly captured the essence of his education vision, especially the Smart Green Schools. His words, “That is why, from the very beginning of this administration, we put you at the very heart of our agenda. We are building 260 Smart Green Schools, one in every political ward across our great state.

“These are not just schools; they are the schools of the future – powered by solar energy, equipped with digital smart boards, robotics labs, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, ICT centers, multimedia libraries, science labs, and smart farms.” There is more.

At the time of writing this analysis, news broke in the traditional and new media platforms that Governor Mbah has announced Enugu’s plan to harness coal resources for electricity generation, targeting a 1,000MW power output. He said coal deposits in the state had about 0.5 sulphuric content, stressing that he was counting on technology to make the impact of coal utilisation on the environment minimal.

The governor revealed this strategic plan on Thursday in Lagos as a guest of the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) “Meet The Governor Series,” where he presented a compelling business case for investment in Enugu State. This is leadership and progressive disruption at its best. No development specialist would fault the essence of providing power to a people in a hurry for development.

Unrelenting in his progressively disruptive governance trajectory, Governor Mbah has revived Nigergas after 30 years of abandonment, accurately asserting the oxygen plant will boost Enugu’s economy. Barely a month ago, there was uproarious celebrations in Enugu as Governor Mbah unveiled the reconstructed iconic Hotel Presidential also abandoned some thirty years ago.

The governor emotionally described the revived edifice established 62 years ago by the administration of Dr. Michael Okpara, the then Premier of Eastern Region, as “a homecoming for history.” On the health, security, agricultural, education, transportation, infrastructure development fronts, similar compelling scripts are being actualized to the discomfiture of extremely negative opponents.

Fishing for ammunition with which to smear the current administration of Enugu State, Ogbu dives into a territory he lacks the ken to accurately dissect – governance financing. He claims that the state governor has received N923 billion in federal allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) within his tenure period and queries how the funds were used.

He further alleges the governor has borrowed N96.7 billion in domestic debt increasing the state domestic debt profile from N140.7 billion to N237.4 billion and noted the state generated approximately N384.5 billion in IGR.

Borrowing for development is not inherently wrong; it can be a necessary tool for developing states to fund infrastructure, social programs, and economic growth. However, it becomes wrong or problematic when debt is managed poorly, used for unproductive purposes, or leads to unsustainable levels of debt, which can threaten a state’s economic stability and progress.

Prudent debt management, transparency, and targeted investments in productive sectors are crucial to ensure that borrowing supports, rather than hinders, sustainable development. Governor Mbah, an accomplished, disciplined industrialist and entrepreneur has certainly not crossed the line in debt accumulation and needs pretty little tutelage on this.

For context, Nigeria’s debt has surged significantly in recent quarters, climbing from N49.85 trillion before the 2023 general elections to N134.30 trillion by the end of the first half of 2024. Today, it is almost N150 trillion. This sharp increase primarily reflects the impact of policy-induced Naira depreciation, aggressive government borrowing, and rising borrowing costs.

According to data sourced from the Debt Management Office (DMO), Africa’s fourth largest economy has as much as N63 trillion ($43 billion) as its foreign debt, accounting for 47 percent of the total debt stock as at Q2 2024. The federal government took the lion share, borrowing approximately N56 trillion while the 36 states plus the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had N7 trillion as their external debt.

It is only a blind or willfully unobjective observer that will cavalierly write off the Enugu administration for nonperformance. And is what Ogbu has done.

According to the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), the five South-East governors (inclusive of their LGAs), between January and June 2025, have collectively received over N650.02 billion with Imo receiving the highest at N151.96 billion and Ebonyi the lowest at N99.63 billion. A breakdown shows: Imo – N151.96bn; Anambra – N150.03bn; Abia – N125.18bn; Enugu – N123.21bn and Ebonyi – N99.63bn – totaling N650.02 billion. FAAC data is provided statutorily by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), and reported by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

A comparative analysis will show that Enugu State with a humble N123.21bn received within this specific period is far ahead of its peers, development wise. The candid testimonies of lawyers (some visiting the South East for the first time who attended the recent NBA Conference in Enugu speaks to the fundamental changes that have berthed in Enugu under the watch of Governor Mbah.

It could be recalled that peering into the future of his beloved homeland, Rahul Rajiv Ghandi, a member of the Indian National Congress, shared a succinct insight that captured his deep passion for developing India. His words: “A rising tide doesn’t raise people who don’t have a boat. We have to build the boat for them. We have to give them the basic infrastructure to rise with the tide.”

Just two years younger than Rahul Rajiv Ghandi but sharing the same compelling developmental philosophy, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has vowed to change the development trajectory of his state by building a boat for his people because “a rising tide doesn’t raise people who don’t have a boat.”

In a sternly calculated move to give teeth to his vision of transforming Enugu State and simultaneously influencing the development trajectory of the South East region, as Michael Okpara did for the defunct Eastern Region, Governor Mbah, just within two years on the saddle, has considerably externalized his development vision. And this is measurable by any development metrics.

Governor Mbah has considerably impacted his state and certainly would not brook a dodgy, skulking paid sniper who wants to torpedo his boat project being carefully constructed to lift his Enugu people – when the tide comes.

According to the renowned Austrian-American management sage Peter Drucker, “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence – it is to act with yesterday’s logic.” Governor Mbah has simply refused to act with yesterday’s logic. This trajectory, perhaps not surprisingly, has drawn recognition and appreciation from many, including prominent watchdogs of society.