Asiwaju of Enugu State
The photograph of the Enugu State leaders with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT), in this newspaper, last Wednesday, was not choreographed to show the grandness of the grandiose visit, but
The photograph of the Enugu State leaders with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT), in this newspaper, last Wednesday, was not choreographed to show the grandness of the grandiose visit, but still the symbolism was not lost. It was as if the parties were in a hurry to return to the inner chambers for a warm embrace. And being a promoter of the political rapprochement between major political actors in the east and the west, this column will not miss the munificence at the door step of his home state.
The occasion was the visit of the dominant political leaders in Enugu State to PBAT, at the State House, Abuja. The leader of the delegation was Governor Peter Mbah and in his entourage were former Senate President Ken Nnamani, former governors, Jim Nwobodo, almost backing the camera, Sullivan Chime, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Minister of Science and Technology, Kingsley Udeh, Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, and a host of others important dignitaries. Senator Nnamani, told the Asiwaju of Nigeria, “We have a leader (Asiwaju) in Enugu State, We have a leader and we have confidence in him. He is leading us right.”
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But beyond the cameras, PBAT and those in attendance discussed the great strides the president and the governor are making, for Nigerians and people of Enugu. Some of the most significant is the extension of the national gas pipeline to Enugu, the concession of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, the rehabilitation of the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway, as well as the rail line on the same axis; and of course the Enugu-Onitsha expressway. Without doubt, the airport, roads and rail line constitute the major access arteries to the state; and the extension of the gas pipeline bears huge economic significance for the state.
So, there is good reason for the stakeholders to visit the president to thank him for his support to the state and the region, and to extend solidarity to him, as he prepares for his second term in 2027, while seeking more assistance and collaboration with the federal government, to achieve the laudable projects of the state government. Governor Mbah, surely understands the important need of being on good relationship with the federal authorities, if his mega plan to turn the state economy to a $30 billion worth, will materialize. He understands that he needs the national gas pipeline, to realize his plans for uninterrupted electricity supply.
That perhaps, is the best gift that the Tinubu administration can give to the state. For as the Bible says, “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” To galvanize towards a modern economy, “it is, seek ye first constant electricity and every other economic growth potential, will be added unto you”. With Mbah at the Enugu State saddle, PBAT will be able to deliver on his promise for uninterrupted electricity, in Enugu State, if not in his first term, at least in the second term.
Clearly, Mbah has shown himself capable of commanding water out from the rocks, if anyone fairly assesses his nearly four years in power as state governor. There are so many things which looked impossible which he has achieved and the facts are there. His promise to restore water supply to parts of Enugu metropolis in 100 days looked impossible but he was able to achieve that. The smart schools he is building, is another wonder considering the enormous resources he is expending on that.
Also the rehabilitation of the township roads which he mentioned during his visit to the president stands him out. There are also moribund industries, like the Emene Steel Company, and some agro-allied industries, that he is using backward integration to get back on stream. Of course, the governor’s giant stride in state internally generated revenue is a reference point, across the country. His uncanny ability to tame insecurity in the state, and to deal ruthlessly with any challenge wherever it rears its ugly head, has made the state one of the safest in the country.
Without doubt, Mbah is a man of grand vision, and that must have enamoured him to the president. Looking at PBAT’s political trajectory, he loves persons with such uncanny ability to deliver on set out goals. That explains why he surrounds himself with people of ability, unlike some leaders who prefer to have praise singers and sycophants around them. As a man with tremendous ability to envision gigantic projects and work to bring them to fruition, PBAT will be following Mbah’s trajectory with a great admiration.
One can say that Mbah’s transformational leadership in Enugu state is as revolutionary as Tinubu’s tour of duty as governor in Lagos state. But, can one say same about Mbah’s political acumen, vis-à-vis that of Tinubu. While I must commend Mbah for his capacity to bring the former governors of the state under his influence, I am not sure, he has wittingly lured his former party opponents to his side instead of dissipating energy fighting them. The existence of factions in Enugu State All Progressive Congress (APC), does not speak well of his political sagacity, as the new party leader.
Mbah should show compassion in managing the party men who were in the trenches as opposition leaders when the state was overwhelmingly a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) state. While he is now the leader of the party, in the state by virtue of the party’s constitution and convention, he should realize that he needs a cohesive house to go into the 2027 general election. If he is able to end the factions in the party, his re-election would be a smooth ride, and he would be able to fulfil his electoral promises to PBAT, during the recent visit.
As I have argued on other occasions, what transformed PBAT from a state leader to a national leader, even before he became the president, is his uncanny ability to nurture and promote talents around him, welcome every person who comes to him, forgive political wrongs at the drop of hat, encourage collective leadership, and reward loyalty and those who have contributed to the growth of the party. PBAT showed himself a successful technocrat in conceiving and delivering great projects, and also a beloved party man, when dealing with the foot soldiers who toil for the party under the sun.
Governor Mbah has shown himself a great man of ideas, capable of conceiving and delivering on gigantic transformational projects for the good of Enugu State. He has to show himself capable of building a followership that would transmute him from a successful governor, to a national leader, capable of leading the people of the state and the region to the many political battles that lies ahead. What it takes to be a leader is a combination of grit and compassion. This column toasts to the friendship of Asiwaju of Enugu State, and the Asiwaju of Nigeria.
