By Tony Adibe
President Bola Tinubu has lauded the Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah, for his development strides in the State, maintaining that with leaders like Mbah, a new Nigeria of the citizens’ dream is possible.
The commendation came as Governor Mbah declared total support of the people of Enugu State for the President in 2027. President Tinubu spoke when he received the Governor Mbah-led delegation of Enugu State leaders, who were on an appreciation visit to him at the Executive Council Chambers of the Aso Presidential Villa on Tuesday.
NewsBits reports that the high-powered delegation included Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh; Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke; former President of the Senate, Senator Ken Nnamani; former Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla; former Governors of Enugu State, Barr. Sullivan Chime and Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, and former Governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo; former Military Administrator of Gombe State, Group Capt Joseph Orji (Rtd) and former Military Administrator of Imo State Navy Commodore Anthony Oguguo (Rtd).
The delegation also included others such as serving and former members of the National Assembly, former ministers, traditional and religious leaders, and academics. Some of the leaders came with their spouses to the event Mr President described as one of the remarkable moments in his administration.
President Tinubu, who addressed his guests, however, specifically told Governor Mbah: “The work you are doing is extremely important for our democracy to grow and for people to flourish. The future of this country rests on people like you with commitment, great vision, and seriousness that you have embarked upon since you assumed the office.
“I thank you very much on behalf of the country, the great people of this nation, and Enugu State in particular. You have been a transformative leader, and we genuinely appreciate what is evolving in Enugu today in a manner that we have witnessed a rapid development of the state.
“I can assure you that we will continue to work together, think together, and build together a nation that will be a proud place for all our citizens.” President Tinubu advised Governor Mbah to remain focused on the job and ignore detractors.
According to Tinubu, “Democracy will survive despite all the intimidations. I ignore, and I will advise you—as I will advise myself—stay focused. When you are succeeding and they are angry, leave them in their corner. Stay focused and believe in yourself, as you have been doing. Don’t pay attention to them, because I will not. We stay in our lanes. We stay focused.
“Nigeria of our dream is achievable, and we will definitely build that together. We will not let you down. We will continue to work hard. It is not easy, but we are navigating the rough waterways. We will land this ship very well to steady Nigeria and bring prosperity to our economy.”
Tinubu also promised to expedite action on the Port Harcourt-Enugu rail line and other infrastructure to enhance economic growth in the South East region, emphasising teamwork and sustainable funding to grow the nation’s economy.
He also said: “We have not embarked upon a serious long-term outlook for our country before now. But with people like you— a leader that is so committed, so visionary— Nigeria is on the right trajectory to becoming a very successful, leading African nation.
“But it’s not a one-man orchestra. It’s a collective effort at the national, subnational, and local government levels.” However, in his early remarks, Governor Mbah appreciated the president for his inclusive leadership, which had greatly benefitted the people of Enugu State even long before they declared for the ruling party.
He stressed that the president broke a long-standing political distance between this region and the federal government, and crossed party lines when he visited Enugu State to commission projects on January 4, 2025. He noted that the visit had since resulted in resolving challenges that had lingered for decades.
Mbah said: “The concessioning of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport means Enugu now has a functioning international gateway, and in doing so, it opens up the Southeast – over 30 million people – to the world.
“With the South East Development Commission, you have established a structure for coordinated regional development. The extension of the gas pipeline to Enugu will connect the state to the national gas grid and, critically, unlock our own gas reserves, making power generation viable, and shifting Enugu from sitting on stranded resources to becoming an energy hub for the South East.
“On these bases, we will stand proudly with you on election day in January 2027.”
Mbah further appreciated Tinubu for the extensive works on the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway and Enugu Onitsha Expressway, the swift reconstruction of the collapsed New Artisan Bridge, and the 700-metre flyover at Eke Obinagu along the Enugu-Abakaliki Expressway, among other interventions by his administration.
The Governor also thanked Mr President for demonstrating trust in Enugu people through key national appointments, such as the position of the Chief of the Air Staff occupied by Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke.
