By Dr. Sam Amadi
Was Peter Mbah forced into power to help destroy lives in Ala Igbo? He must one day answer to the Igbo nation.
Peter Mba is Failing, and Failing Unnecessarily
I left Enugu yesterday, after five days in the city. I have a report card for Governor Peter Mba.
First, let me clarify an important point. Shortly after Mba became Governor, I was in Enugu for the burial of my oga, Senator Ken Nnamani’s wife. I met Governor Mba. He requested we meet. I met him two days later in his office. After listening to him for about an hour, I was convinced he had the potential to be an entrepreneurial governor. I had aspired unsuccessfully to be Governor of Imo State. I had prepared a Community Action Plan for Prosperity (CAPP) to govern Imo State. I was thrilled that Peter Mba was intent on doing some of the projects and policies I had articulated in CAPP.
When I returned to Abuja, I wrote on Twitter that I bank on Peter Mba to be a transformative governor. Some members of the Labour Party attacked me for endorsing the Governor. But I saw potential, and as an honest thinker, I wrote that he would do well.
I think he has done well in many ways. He has succeeded in increasing internally generated revenues. He has built some grand infrastructure and is improving Enugu State’s landscape. I interviewed two brilliant and passionate Igbos on who is the best Governor in the Southeast. They were divided between Otti and Mba. So, he has done well in some aspects of management. But he has not been politically responsive like Governor Otti. He has failed to respond adequately to complaints of Ndi Enugu on security threats.
Enugu is the third state with the highest internally generated revenue (IGR), after Lagos and Rivers States. Lagos is the commercial and industrial center of Nigeria. Rivers boasts the main operational base of Nigeria’s oil majors. So, their cash boom is understandable. Enugu state has none of that. Interestingly, Enugu State is far off on GDP growth. It does not make the top 10. Imo State is top on that but misses out on IGR top ten. When you are growing less but raking more tax revenue, it means you are efficient in tax management. So, the Enugu State government is able to extract more revenue from less wealth. That tells a story of economic burden. The cost of living is very high in Enugu. The people complain of hardship. But the little consolation could be that their state appears to be better governed in terms of infrastructure development. But there is more to good governance than rebuilding the presidential hotel and completing Chimaroke’s conference center.
But, in another sense, Governor Mba is failing in a big way. He seems to be making Enugu a highly intimidated state. People in Enugu are suffering huge political suppression. I have been travelling across Nigeria training CSOs and political support groups on how to protect electoral integrity. It is sad that in Enugu we had only one political support group. During conversations, the CSO leaders all lamented that Mba has imposed what appears like a reign of terror in the state. They confessed that people are afraid to express any political opinion different from his. This is horrible. This is unigbo. I heard this from multiple personalities with divergent political views, including those that support APC.
In Imo State, whether you like Hope Uzodinma or not, you will acknowledge that there is real political pluralism. This does not mean everything is right. No. But opposition parties are moving freely and campaigning as much as they can. At our summit in Owerri, multiple political support groups were visible and articulate. In Enugu, you would struggle to see any sign of such pluralism. There is significant political pluralism in Anambra, even in Ebonyi, despite Umahi’s warmongering. Just today, there are reports that the proposed rally of the NDC in Enugu has been blocked. Governor Mba claims this has nothing to do with him. This may be so. But why always Enugu lately? Why is the news coming out of Enugu since Governor Mba declared he would ensure President Tinubu must win Enugu State, often about the killing of a supporter of the opposition party? Why is it that it looks like opposition politics is banned in Enugu State?
Enugu State Governor, Dr Peter Mbah
What is going on in Enugu pains me a lot because I banked on Peter Mba being the best because of his pedigree. This is disappointing, and needlessly too. Why is Peter Mba acting so frightened? Why is he acting as if he would gain much by attacking the fundamental values of alaigbo?
Under Peter Mba, Enugu has become arguably the most politically violent state in Nigeria. Every week, there must be one allegation of state government suppression of a political event of opposition party. Every week, one person would be shot dead at a political rally in Enugu. It reminds me sadly of the days of Nnamani when political opponents were persecuted.
Enugu needs to be rescued from political violence and serfdom. Enugu people have to resolve to restore political pluralism in Enugu, so the state does not fall in terrible times.
Governor Mba is getting it wrong. He has the right to support President Tinubu. There is nothing wrong for him to fully support Tinubu. But he has no right to throw a major Igbo state into serfdom and abolish political pluralism because of he fears that he lacks the political capacity to get Tinubu 25% in Enugu State. I acknowledge his anguish in this regard. But he still has a lot going for him. He is doing well in other areas so he could still be a great Igbo leader. I know he had a rough time last time because of the case of alleged certificate forgery. And Nigeria’s legal system is sometimes mysterious. So there may be a maddening urge to please the guys who hold the power to politically kill him. But he should be smart enough to know that if Enugu people stand by him, he would win over all challenges.
I am disappointed that the Governor is failing when he ought to be succeeding. If Enugu become a killing field in 2027, what success can that be? Enugu people in diaspora should not allow Mba to turn their state into a non-Igbo state. Igbos are known by the presence of pluralism. We are a free and dignified people. A governor cannot turn us into zombies.
Enugu, stand up and save Mba from failing, and stop Enugu from being a laughingstock.
- Sam Amadi is Director, Abuja School of Social And Political Thought
