Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
Several elder statesmen and power brokers in Enugu state have endorsed the candidature of Dr Peter Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the next governor of the state.
A number of those who spoke in separate interviews stated that Mbah was the right person to lead the state given his experience, his transparency, respect for rules, entrepreneurial spirit and his exploits at Pinnacle Oil, which he heads.
David Ogbodo, a lawyer and elder in the state, said that although past leaders did their best, the aim of the founding fathers of Enugu state had not been achieved because the lofty aspirations of the elders for Enugu hadn’t been fulfilled.
According to him Enugu remains a civil service state which is not acceptable in 2022, stressing that it wasn’t the best for the state which he reasoned had been overtaken by other states in terms of development.
Ogbodo stated that Enugu needs to be transformed from a civil service dependent state to one which operates a mixed economy where the civil service and commercial activities can exist side by side, stressing that government alone cannot absorb the state’s teeming graduates.
He noted that this cannot be done without a thriving small scale business environment, calling for the replica of Alaba market for instance, in the state where massive trade can take place.
He noted that although education is a national issue, states can come in with their own innovation, with the inclusion of vocational training, rather than looking for Togolese for basic artisanal jobs.
“Peter knows what to do and how we feel about the status of Enugu. Our children have been winning laurels , but we need to give our people functional education. The federal government will not stop us from having a comprehensive education,” he said.
He explained that while management courses are good, the state needs to concentrate on technological education, noting that with Mbah, there will be a positive difference
For his part, another elder statesman, Steve Okolo, described Mbah as the ideal leader, stressing that he was convinced that Enugu will be honoured to have him lead the state.
“With someone who has the ability to do what we saw at the Lekki Free Zone, I think it’s a lot less tedious than that job he has done and I want to regard him as the ideal leader,” he stated.
Stressing that he has been in the oil industry for over 50 years, he explained that Enugu state will improve if it can prove that it is an oil producing state, with technical evaluation already conducted in several parts.
According to him, the Enugu of his dream is to see youths and women empowered which he said Mbah can do.
He urged all lovers of Enugu to throw their weight behind the businessman/politician , stressing that he remains the best among all the candidates.
Also speaking, Dr Chilo Offiah, a former Chief Executive Of First Merchant Bank and a member of the National Economic Summit Group (NESG), said he could vouch for Mbah because he’s not a noise maker, but a competent man who rarely blows his trumpet.
He noted that Mbah will make a successful governor being a very educated finance expert, with his exploits at Pinnacle Oil. “I know he’s going to attract a lot of commercial entities to this state,” he said.
He added that Mbah’s job had been cut out for him, with a deficit of infrastructure including roads, water, hotels, environmental sanitation and other public goods which investors will always look forward to. He also urged Mbah to take agriculture and health seriously.
Stressing that he doesn’t envy Mbah because of the enormity of work awaiting him, Offiah stated that the PDP candidate will need to boost revenue generation in the state, pledging the support of the elders.
“We will be prepared to help , standing to support him if he’s prepared to lead and I have seen that individual in Peter Mbah,” he stated. “I have weighed all the candidates and Peter Mbah is my candidate because of his experience, his dignity, his entrepreneurial spirit, he is hardworking and an astute businessman,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Mbah has proposed to turn Enugu state from a high consumption state to one where production will take precedence as well as zero per cent in the state’s poverty index. He spoke in Lagos during an event organised for him by friends.
