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PETER MBAH: Enugu’s consolation in times of national crisis
By Josh Ejeh
We simply cannot feign ignorance about the multi-faceted crises haunting Nigeria on all fronts. Nigeria is facing economic, development, security, hunger, political and technology crises presently with no probable end in sight. These results are accumulation of poor leadership and bad navigation of the country. Nigerians are dying of hunger brutality and the masses are the worst hit. The middle-class that could have served as a salvaging intervention and exchange point between what the Marxists referred to as bourgeois and proletariat, is almost annihilated from the country’s rung of economic equations.
Only a few hours ago, another disturbing headline hit the pages of the national dailies and social media. It is the inflation headline rate surging at a geometric progression, leaving a bleak trail of more people sinking deeper into the pit of poverty. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, headline inflation rate in January 2024 was 29.9%, and until hours ago, the February inflation rose contrastingly to 31.7%. Simply, inflation is an increase in the prices of goods and services over a period of time. There are variables responsible for this such as weak currency, increase in the price of raw materials, decline in productivity and over-reliance on import with little or no export.
Again, the low-income earners – usually called the masses, are at the receiving end of these hydra-headed challenges. Whether the type of inflation Nigeria is experiencing now is hyper-inflation or galloping inflation as the economists would tag it, one thing is definitely clear: the nation is unwell. There is hunger and poverty in the land. The curve is stretched such that the elasticity of what the people could contain before reacting is already exceeded. For example, Nairametrics indicated that food inflation – common to the human survival regardless of class – is at 37.92% in February. Yet things are rising astronomically.
Notwithstanding the above dark threshold, for the political economist, there is always a link between government’s decisions and the state of the economy, whether in a capitalist, socialist or mixed economic system. This is where policies are driven by decision-makers in government to define the curve of the economy. External factors, such as regulations, intervention, etc, are deliberately crafted for the wellbeing of the people.
During the 2023 campaigns, Dr. Peter Mbah, currently governor of Enugu State, forewarned of the impending economic crisis if no urgent intervention in the likeness of state of emergency was declared on the economy. He spoke about a shift from the incremental governance and fiscal management that had seen the country – federal and state governments – increasing marginally in growth and development through dependency on mono-cultured economy where oil revenue accounts for over 95% of government revenue, 95% of export revenue and 95% of foreign earnings. It is impertinent to underscore the genesis of this trouble. The late author, Chinua Achebe, puts it in his 1983 book, “The Trouble with Nigeria”, is the problem of leadership. Nigeria missed the track of greatness when it abandoned those sectors that once created wealth and defined its then vibrant and robust economy for oil as its mainstay.
Dr. Mbah believes it is only a paradigm shift and radical departure that could salvage the nation and put it back on track. He summarized his governance philosophy in a rather unusual and uncanny mantra of “disruptive innovation”. According to him, things must be done differently to leapfrog development. I have listened to him speak about his mission and vision a couple of times. I have felt the passion exuded by him to eradicate poverty, tackle the challenges of perennial water scarcity, consign underdevelopment to history, train and empower youths, women and the vulnerable, move the state gross domestic product from the $4.4 billion the administration met it to $30 billion through private-sector driven investment enabled by the government in terms of derisking investment flows, automating the public service system for efficiency, assuring a guaranteed security architecture through institutional building and the right environment.
While it was true that while others were still lamenting on the dwindling oil revenues from the centre due to what former Deputy President of the Senate, Prof. Ike Ekweremadu, described as feeding bottle federalism, Dr. Mbah looked inwards, baring his disruptive styles of leadership. In order to ameliorate the economic crunches, he gave priority to the public servants who are basically made up of civil servants from different ministries, agencies and departments. In addition to paying regular salaries, the governor announced the implementation of wage awards, almost the first in the country at the time. This cut across both the state and the local government system. It was a huge relief for the people of the state. It was a form of insulation from the biting inflation and cost of living.
Not done, Mbah vowed never to let the people down at a time he was most needed. He ordered that the pension’s backlogs his administration inherited be cleared. Effect was given to it. This is a form of recapitalization of the economy through increase purchasing power of the people. This was followed by a sequence of heartwarming events hours ago. Jubilation is coming from the camp of primary school teachers, a critical sector which, sadly, had been forgotten for long, as they received their minimum wage for the first time after many years of waiting. This is in addition to their wage award, which the state had been consistent with since last year, 2023.
In video clips circulated by the teachers from different schools, one could see the organic joy increasingly building, daily, from all these abandoned quarters that governor Mbah has courted with his magnanimity. The questions on the lips of these teachers, as they displayed their “intricate pattern” dance steps like the J.P Clark’s “Agbo Dancer”, is “Who else could have done it in this time of hardship?” But Mbah did it with the hope of doing more. Local government pensioners are also captured in that high hopes with their verification.
In a Nigeria of our time where gloom appears to be the rhetoric, Mbah is displaying the traits of a leader who leads other leaders to a new destination where they ought to be. As water was made available within the timeline given, multiple roads construction getting completed, smart schools of global standards springing up, healthcare sector receiving impactful attention, with Enugu adjudged the most peaceful, secured and safest state in Nigeria; what else, like the primary school teachers, are we to demand? All we can set forth to do now is to celebrate the leader, who has shown unusualness in leadership, restraint and moderation in governance, fiscal discipline in revenue generation and respect for the rule of law. Your Excellency, it is with this that I am wishing you a happy birthday and many happy returns. Congratulations.
• Joshua Ejeh, a legal practitioner, writes from Enugu.
The United States Department of Homeland Security has added 10 Nigerians to its “Worst of the Worst” register, a database highlighting immigrants arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement over alleged criminal offences.
The latest names were published on the official DHS website and include individuals linked to cases involving fraud, identity theft, drug offences, assault, conspiracy and offences involving children.
The 10 Nigerians listed in the latest update are:
Temitope Bashua — Wire fraud, identity theft and fraud — Allenwood, Pennsylvania
Ojehoro Lewis — Cruelty towards a child — Conroe, Texas
Osemudiamen Kingsley Oziegbe — Wire fraud — Louisville, Kentucky
Daniel Oworen — Dangerous drugs — Conroe, Texas
Raymond H. Ekevwo — Wire fraud — Oxford, Wisconsin
Franklin Dikeocha — Sex offence against a child – fondling — Dallas, Texas
Johnson Ogunlana — Fraud and identity theft — White Deer, Pennsylvania
Chukwuemeka Okorocha — Wire fraud, dangerous drugs, possession of a weapon and aggravated assault involving a non-family gun — Allenwood, Pennsylvania
Tunde Korede — Conspiracy — Allenwood, Pennsylvania
Chukwuemeka Chinye — Larceny from a banking-type institution, fraud, larceny, identity theft and conspiracy — Pollock, Louisiana
DHS said the register was established to draw attention to immigrants it describes as the “worst of worst criminal aliens” arrested by ICE.
“Every day, the patriots of ICE are working to target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from our country. Just yesterday, ICE arrested murderers, pedophiles, kidnappers, and other violent criminals to make America safe again,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, there will be no safe haven for illegal aliens, including in sanctuary cities which put illegal aliens over their own citizens. We will never apologize for arresting and deporting illegal aliens, because that’s how we protect American lives.”
The department said the latest immigration enforcement actions were part of the Trump administration’s deportation policy.
“Under DHS leadership, the hardworking men and women of DHS and ICE are fulfilling President Trump’s promise and carrying out mass deportations – starting with the worst of the worst – including the illegal aliens you see here,” the department said.
The latest publication comes after DHS released another list in July containing 124 Nigerians arrested by ICE and identified on the same register.
The July list featured Nigerians associated with a range of criminal offences, although the department did not provide specific deportation dates for those individuals
…Orders CCTV installation to stop vandalism
The federal government on Friday announced the closure of the River Niger bridge for one week.
The closure is to carry out repairs on the vandalised sections of the River Niger bridge road and install security architecture in the area.
Minister for Works, Engr Dave Umahi, disclosed this at Ogbunike in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra during an inspection tour of the bridge and other roads under construction in the South East and South South geopolitical zones of the country.
The first River Niger Bridge linking Asaba and Onitsha
He said motorists would, at the closure of the bridge, be directed to the Second Niger Bridge in order to give the contractors an adequate time frame to carry out the necessary repairs.
Recall that suspected vandals had looted vital bolts and irons used in the construction of the bridge, thereby exposing the bridge to obvious collapse and, in the process, threatening the lives of millions of road users and passersby.
He explained that security measures are being taken to avert a repeat occurrence of vandalism on the bridge.
“Bridges are designed for light load and dynamic loads so we have directed that work should start immediately and the entire asphalt be removed and put another one and there will be solar lights on that bridge in the next one week and we shall fix CCTV and connect it to the one in the 2nd Niger Bridge so that security will observe and whoever that tries to touch the bridge again is going to be arrested.
“Now on the first Niger bridge, we have seen the wickedness of the underworld. We have seen the man’s inhumanity to man; those things that they are removing is very dangerous to the beauty of that bridge and we have commenced action on that bridge,” he said.
He added; “There Is so much accumulated workload on that bridge, like it was with the 3rd Mainland Bridge, and every government that comes will put asphalt, and it is causing a lot of gridlock on that bridge.
“So these are the actions that we have taken and then getting down we came to the Enugu – Onitsha express and they are working in three sections and there the Enugu -Onitsha and another one is 17.5 km and the last one is about 20km by two and so I have directed them not to start any asphalt work or concrete work so what they are to do is to take measurements of all the failed sections and it should be milled out and then use 16mm binder to cover them very well all the way from head bridge to 21.5 km and they will finish one carriage way before they go to the other one.
“We have to attempt to work at night so that we don’t interfere with traffic and we have to get the road safety involved and our own local traffic managers they should commence the desilting of the drainage before commencing.
“To that effect we may have to close down the first Niger bridge in seven days time and we direct traffic to the second Niger bridge for us to fix the first Niger bridge in good time,” he stated.
At the ongoing construction of the second Niger Bridge access road, Engr Timothy Emenike, Controller, and Engr Nnamdi explained that there would be no more slow pace of work on the project, adding that the project is being executed from both fronts in order to beat the deadline.
“The project starts from Obosi down to Mkpor and Ogidi and now we are in Ogbunike and along this alignment between the last time you came we are working on several stops along this alignment and you have just seen the second bridge that is ongoing and we are almost about to start the third one”.
“Work pace will not be a hindrance until we exhaust what was given to us by the Anambra state government and I am happy to inform you that since the new Commissioner took over we have been going to the new Commissioner’s office and have been pressuring him to give us more work space.”
According to him, in the next week we shall have another work space of 5km between Obosi axis, working from both ends.
“We are cutting through the hill at Ogbunike to continue the work in that area,” they stated.
Anambra State Commissioner for Works, Arc Okey Ezeobi, announced that the right of way being demanded by the contractors would be granted to them, adding that an additional 5km has been added to the contractors.
Ezeobi thanked President Ahmed Bola Tinubu and Engr Dave Umahi for providing democracy dividends for the people of Anambra and the South East.
He reiterated the support of the people of the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“There is no better way to describe this as a renewed hope and not fit saying it and the Hon Minister with what you are doing with our wonderful President for the first time Easterners can come in and move out with ease and the bottleneck they had been a great harassment and that is sending people out of the South East, has been taken care of.
“One can now bypass Onitsha, bypass Asaba and you are on your way.
“You don’t know how glad the people of Anambra and the South East is and thank Mr President for us.
“There is no way to ask for democracy dividend than this and that is when you have a visionary leadership tailored towards alleviating the sufferings of the masses.
“Mr President is developing every part of Nigeria and regarding the right of way for this project, we are finalizing it and we are adding another 5km to what we have now and there will be more than enough for the contractor to work with,” he added.
The family of The Eagle Online publisher, Dotun Oladipo, has announced September 10 and 11, 2026 as the dates for the funeral programmes of the journalist and media entrepreneur.
Oladipo died on Tuesday, August 25, at the age of 56.
According to the family, a service of songs will hold at DayStar Church, Oregun, Ikeja, on Thursday, September 10.
The burial service will take place at the same venue on Friday, September 11, followed by his interment.
Oladipo was president of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) from 2017 to 2021 and was among the foundational members who helped shape the association during its formative years.
GOCOP President, Danlami Nmodu, described his death as a painful loss to the Guild and recalled his contribution to the development of online publishing in Nigeria.Exploring African Diaspora Media
“Dotun played an important role in the development of GOCOP. He led the Guild for four years at a time when there was still a lot of work to be done to establish online publishers as an important part of the media. His contribution will always be remembered,” Nmodu said.
Nmodu said Oladipo brought his experience as a journalist and publisher to the leadership of the Guild.
“Dotun understood journalism and he understood the business of publishing. He was passionate about the place of online media in Nigeria and he gave his time to the growth of the Guild. We are saddened by his passing,” Nmodu said.
Oladipo was also a member of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria), and was active in the development of Nigeria’s online publishing industry.
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