News
Mbah’s socio-economic policies of eradicating poverty in Enugu State
By Ejeh Josh
In its recent report released on 13 of December, 2023, the World Bank presented a graphic image of a country receding deeper into the pit of poverty as a result of years of accumulated mismanagement, bad governance and poor system of leadership. The report shows an economy plummeting despite reforms by the present federal government to salvage the situation. This has sent, at least, 104 million Nigerians to the dungeon of extreme poverty, rapidly moving away from 79 million people living in poverty in 2018, according to the World Bank release. An attempt to understand the meaning of “extreme poverty” would have a recourse to the World Bank’s September 2022 adjustment to global poverty lines which benchmarks any person living below the sum of $2.15 per day as living below poverty line or held in extreme poverty.
The above figure is not new to Nigeria as the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in its 2022 National Multidimensional Poverty Index Report, squared 133 million Nigerians as multi-dimensionally poor. The reports noted that the reasons for the increase in poverty were not unconnected with the sluggish growth and hyper-inflation the country is going through. This has implications to the overall well-being of the country. First, more Nigerians will face a scourge of hunger as their purchasing power falls. Second, there is pressure and stress on those outside the poverty line for maintenance, and this may probably drag them down the line of poverty. Third, crime rate will increase among the youth. Fourth, high incident of school dropouts are expected. Fifth, human capital flight, known otherwise, as the “Jappa syndrome” which is a brain drain to Nigeria and its economy, will be on the rise. The list goes on almost without end.
Appreciating the above terrific throes Nigeria is presently mired, the Enugu State governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, threw down the gauntlet, first in his statement of purpose or manifesto which boldly has its vision statement as “making Enugu one of the 3 top states in Nigeria in terms of Gross Domestic Product, and to achieve a zero percent rate in the poverty headcount index.” This vision, although, sounds lofty, could only be achieved with focus, dedication, resilience, discipline, and “intentional” drive of disrupting the norm and its prevailing status quo. Like Mr. Mbah keeps reminding himself and his team, “we are in a hurry to achieve our humongous promises to the people of Enugu State”. A study of some of the policy and economic reforms being undertaken by the state government would reveal a government truly in a hurry to deliver on its mandate.
First has been the intention of the Mbah administration to peg a timeline to every project undertaken and enjoin the citizens to participate in the process of execution by holding the government to account. Matching up these timelines are the core internal policies in which one is called, key performance indicators (KPIs). KPIs are measurable and quantifiable metrics used to evaluate and assess the performance of an organisation as to the extent its objectives or goals have been achieved. This adopted term is basically used in the private sector and development space to rate performance and award credit or sanction. With this, each appointee is under pressure to deliver within time allotted. Mbah has shown that governance is no longer a space for merrymaking. Every dime is accounted for and must be judiciously put to use for the benefits of the people. Underperformance, inefficiency is shown the way out, and this has become a KPI dashboard for self-assemment before general assessment.
This little deviation is necessary to underscore the discreet action behind every success story that the people of the state are telling about this government. In most states, the past six months had been dedicated for euphoria excitement of clinching to office. However, this government has remarkably moved from policy formulation to policy and projects execution. This permeates both the tangible projects such as road execution, provision of potable water, payments of salaries and other emolument to workers, training of youths on digital skills for global competitiveness, upgrading and building of new hospitals, construction of primary and secondary school blocks including the state-of-the-art smart schools with centres for robotics, artificial intelligence, creative studios, modern science laboratories, and a shift in the curricula of tertiary institutions to meet today’s needs with a view to thinking about future technologies. This gives credence to the gale of accreditations and upgrade some of the state institutions have received. From schools of nursing to colleges of nursing and degree-awarding institutions.
On the intangible aspect of the feats, the administration is championing a leadership role in digitisation and automation of all the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) as a way of strengthening the state’s institutions, creating a viable social order that would allow citizens transact businesses in the state without necessarily having a physical interface with any of the MDAs. This is creating the much promised conducive environment for business and investment. A cursory look at the mission statement encapsulated by the administration will aid the better understanding of where the government is headed. In his mission statement, Mbah tersely captured it this way: “To deliver quality, people-focused governance by making Enugu the preferred destination for investment, business, tourism and living “. There is no magic that could make the state an investment hub without the deliberate reforms the administration is now undertaking. This could basically be seen as the process of derisking investment and guaranteeing that investors have flexible and friendly access to information needed for a start-up and other investment prospects.
This being at the verge of completion, the governor had thrice hosted economic and investment summits, outlining pipeline projects that would activate the interest of investors given their promising return on investment worth over $2.1 billion. The recent trips to Lagos State, United States, Indonesia, Egypt, Abuja, for investment summits, economic talks among others, the administration had optimally maximised the opportunities afforded to woo investors to Enugu with their clear outlays of what the state has got to offer. Enugu is an unmined territory of gold the administration has laid out for exploration. There is no more any excuse for willing investors to have their presence in the state and have their return.
Huge reforms had been carried out in the agro-allied space, with many now returning to agriculture in a modern way. With thousands of hectares of land earmarked for agriculture, and some already farmed, Enugu is poised to announce to the global market, its presence and products. Visits to different local government areas and their farmlands cultivated for rice, cassava, yam, special species of pepper, vegetables, and other staple food, the end of poverty is near in the state. Being passionate and committed about agriculture, the state seizing every opportunity to liaise with international agencies and donors by paying its counterpart funding boost the chain of food production. The target population includes women and youths. This accounts for the training and retraining of the population on the use of modern farming tools.
One of those issues usually raised as concern by investors is security. No business thrives in a swamp of insecurity. Mbah understood this immutable principle of a safe state for a thriving economy when he came in as governor. His series of security reforms alluded to it. First, he declared war against insecurity and the now forgotten illegal sit-at-home orders which had become a sub-culture of notoriety in the southern part of Nigeria, particularly the southeastern zone. Like the National Security Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, admitted last week, Governor Mbah was at the forefront of the battlefield against insecurity beyond Enugu State to the entire southeast region. With his resolute spirit, he dealt with the incidence of sit-at-home, eradicated the then looming unknown gunmen, flushed out kidnapping, and ensures that security and normalcy was returned to the state and the region by extension. The above was also corroborated by the Federal Minister of Works and Infrastructure, Engr. David Umahi, when he gave testimony of how peace returned to the zone. The message is clear; Enugu State is ready for business!
Following all these efforts, investors have started scrambling for space, drilling down on the mission and vision of the administration. While the battle against a depressing economy continues at the national level, Enugu State has made some significant gains. First, some of the institutional mechanisms that would lead to a zero percent poverty headcount rate in the state are beginning to gain attention not withstanding that the state is also cushioning the effect of the “sluggish growth and high rise in inflation”. The 2023 to the second quarters of 2024 wage award the administration had outlined for workers in the state would increase the purchasing power of majority of the people in the state. Workers have received the first payment of such, boosting their capacity to invest from what they are earning. This welfarist policy has the tendency of impacting on the socio-economic status of workers leaping further upward the rung of the ladder of the economy.
These deliberate policies are geared towards upscaling the people’s economic welfare, insulating them from the national economic crunch. With the policies transforming into deliverables, and the economy rebounding from the shock of national economic crisis, eradicating poverty in the state could only happen sooner than projected.
Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year ahead!
e-mail: ejehjosh@gmail.com
President Bola Tinubu is currently meeting with governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The meeting, involving members of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), commenced shortly before 4pm on Thursday, following a separate session of the National Economic Council (NEC) chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
As of the time of filing this report, the meeting was still ongoing, with details of the agenda yet to be made public.
The engagement comes amid heightened political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections, eight days after the official commencement of campaigns in line with the timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It also comes five days after the APC released the list of members of its Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 elections.
The campaign council is headed by former Zamfara State Governor, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, who was appointed Director-General.
The meeting between Tinubu and the APC governors is expected to provide an opportunity for discussions on political coordination, mobilisation and other issues concerning the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
The Progressives Governors Forum has remained a key platform for coordination among APC governors, while the President has continued to engage party leaders and elected officials as the party prepares for the elections.
…Says “We’re bringing back Okpara’s agro-industrial revolution”
….Hails Gov Mbah’s proactiveness, promises communities bountiful benefits
The South East Development Commission, SEDC, says it is set to reignite the agro-industrial revolution that made the defunct Eastern Region the fastest growing economy in the world between 1954 and 1964.
The Commission said it was embarking on three Agromechanisation projects, one in each of the three senatorial zone of Enugu, Abia, Imo, Anambra, and Ebonyi State, in partnership with the state governments, starting with Enugu.
The Commission gave the assurances at Nomeh, Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State during a community engagement with leaders and stakeholders of the community on the proposed Nomeh Agromechanisation Project.
In his detailed presentation, the Executive Director, Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Rural Development (NRARD) at the SEDC, Dr. Clifford Ogbede, said the project would also provide numerous direct and indirect job and business opportunities, making agriculture attractive to the youths again
Dr. Ogbede, who was represented by his Technical Adviser at Commission, Dr. Chris Uwadoka, explained that the projects would also attract local and foreign investors, giving Ndigbo in diaspora the opportunity to be part of rebuilding the South East.
“We could all recall that the Eastern Region economy was at a point rated as the fastest growing economy in the world. That means that we were ahead of many leading economies of today in term of growth. And at the root of it was agriculture, thanks to the visionary leadership of the former Premier of the region, Dr. Michael Okpara.
“So, after thorough brainstorming sessions, the SEDC came up with a blueprint to restore the region’s lost glory, starting with agriculture,” he said.
Commending Governor Mbah for his proactiveness in laying out a robust and elaborate agricultural blueprint for Enugu State, he said the Agromechanisation project would also be cited at Elugwu Akwu, Oji River LGA in Enugu West Senatorial District and Nkpologwu, Uzo Uwani LGA in Enugu North Senatorial District to the benefit of the host communities and South East.
“Governor Mbah nominated Nomeh for the programme. It is a good thing for this community because SEDC is going to bring the best possible agricultural knowledge into the territory, bring specialists, agro-entrepreneurs, improved seeds with greater yields, and support the local farmers.
“So, it is a good thing that has come to the Nomeh community. It’s something to be cheered, cheerful about.
“Also, there’s something happening amongst youth, especially in the South East. They are averse to agriculture. They are walking away from agriculture that their parents depended on because it is back-breaking.
“The labour is much, but the yield is little and you hardly have enterprises, companies that are running on the back of agricultural produce.
“Therefore, this Project is going to attract agricultural enterprises that will give employment to the youth, and give them knowledge. They will see how it is done. They will earn a living for themselves,” he added.
He strongly dismissed the notion that the Agromechanisation Project was a ploy to grab grazing lands for cattle herders.
“There is absolutely nothing like that. This is an entirely South East initiative for the benefit of the South East, then the nation. It is very untrue and not part of the blueprint,” he concluded.
In his remarks, the Enugu State Liaison Officer to the Commission, Chief Edeani Edeani, said the Federal Government and Governor Peter Mbah were determined to use agriculture to fight insecurity.
“With such massive agromechenisation projects across the South East, our spaces will be more effectively and gainfully occupied and governed. Also, the youths will be gainfully employed,” he stated.
Speaking, a community leader and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Uche Anichukwu, thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for establishing the SEDC after many failed attempts by Ndigbo under previous administrations.
“I worked at the national parliament for several years, and I am very much aware of the many attempts to set up a commission without success. It was either the bill did not scale through the parliament or it was denied presidential assent. But on 24th July, 2024, President Tinubu graciously signed into law the legal framework creating the SEDC to rebuild infrastructure and serve as a platform for a coordinated regional development,” he said.
He lauded the SEDC Managing Director, Mark Okoye, and his team for launching out with agriculture as a pivot for the economic revival and growth of the region, noting that they had brought “a totally fresh approach to running regional development commissions.”
“As a community, we are most grateful to the President and Governor Peter Mbah for choosing Nomeh to host the pilot project. We do not take it for granted.”
On his part, the traditional ruler of Nomeh Unateze, HRH Igwe Israel Okonkwo Mbah, who was represented by the traditional prime minister, Chief Daniel Anikpuma, said the Nomeh Unateze Agromechanisation Project would bring back the pre-civil war glory of the community.
“It is a sort of bringing back the glory of Nomeh-Unateze, a bustling railway and agricultureal town in the past. Before the war, we had UAC, Leventis, and several other produce trading companies here. The war broke out, and everything stopped.
“Today, the SEDC and the Enugu State Government have remembered Nomeh Unateze and come with mechanised farming to reactivate our community. We believe it is going to bring massive development and we embrace it with a grateful heart,” he stated.
Likewise, the town union government of the community, speaking through Engr. Uchenna Anyanwu, threw its weight behind the project, assuring that necessary machinery would be put in place to ensure the smooth execution and security of the project.
Another community leader, Mrs. Veronica Onwude, said the project had given the people more hope, as the women, their husbands and youths would be more gainfully employed.
The General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Emmanuel Ugboaja, has died at the age of 60 after a protracted illness.
Details surrounding his death remained sketchy as of the time of filing this report.
The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, announced Ugboaja’s death to members of the Congress National Executive Council during their ongoing meeting in Enugu, Enugu State, according to Tribune newspapers.
Ajaero reportedly read a letter from the deceased’s family informing delegates of his passing.
Ugboaja, a veteran trade unionist and lawyer, had served as the NLC General Secretary since August 2019, following the ratification of his appointment by the Congress’s National Executive Council at a meeting in Kano. He succeeded the retiring Peter Ozo-Eson.
As General Secretary, Ugboaja was responsible for coordinating the administrative and strategic operations of the labour centre, including relations with the NLC’s affiliate unions, industrial relations, negotiations with government and employers, policy implementation and nationwide mobilisation.
His tenure coincided with some of the most significant confrontations between organised labour and successive governments over wages, workers’ welfare and economic policies.
One of his early major assignments was the negotiation surrounding the implementation of the N30,000 national minimum wage approved by the Federal Government in 2019. The disagreement over implementation brought the government and organised labour close to industrial action before an agreement was eventually reached.
Ugboaja remained involved in subsequent negotiations and campaigns on workers’ wages and welfare.
In April 2026, he signed an NLC directive urging workers in states that had yet to fully implement the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act to participate in street rallies on May Day, reflecting his role in translating the decisions of the Congress into nationwide mobilisation.
Born on May 15, 1966, Ugboaja studied Law at the University of Calabar, graduating in 1987.
He initially spent about four years in private legal practice before joining the trade union movement in 1993.
According to the NLC’s historical biography, his entry into the labour movement made him the first Nigerian lawyer to work full-time for a trade union.
He began his trade union career with the National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees, an affiliate of the NLC, where he rose to become General Secretary between 2000 and 2005.
Ugboaja later served as Coordinator, Advocacy and Mobilisation, at the Alliance for Credible Elections between 2006 and 2009, before joining the NLC Secretariat in 2009.
His death comes at a significant period for Nigeria’s labour movement, which has remained engaged with the Federal Government and state governments over the implementation of the new minimum wage, workers’ welfare and the wider economic impact of ongoing reforms.
The NLC is expected to make further statements on Ugboaja’s death and funeral arrangements.
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