“If more sub-national leaders embraced a forward-looking vision like that of the current government in Enugu State, Nigeria would achieve remarkable progress in infrastructure development.” This was the consensus among journalists accredited to cover Nigeria’s seat of power at Aso Rock Presidential Villa, following their tour of various projects in the Coal City State, shortly after they participated in a two-day capacity-building workshop.
The annual training for members of the State House Press Corps (SHPC) took place this year in Enugu, the capital of Enugu State in South East Nigeria. Organized by the Corps’ leadership, the event was facilitated by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, and graciously hosted by the Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah.
In the words of the SHPC Chairman Dr. Anule Emmanuel, the workshop with the theme: “Artificial Intelligence (AI) Utilisation for Effective Journalism”, which charges the media to embrace AI, aimed to equip journalists with cutting-edge AI tools and techniques to enhance their reporting capabilities in an increasingly digital media landscape.
“As journalists working in this highly sensitive environment, we view training and continuous training as essential for enhancing both our skills and our collective ability to perform effectively on the job.
“The opportunity of this workshop facilitated by Your Excellency (Governor Mbah), provides us a genuine opportunity to see things first hand and be part of history as you keep turning Enugu into a bustling construction hub, hoping to transform the state and ultimately improve lives,” Anule said.
Governor Mbah was represented at the capacity-building workshop by the State Commissioner for Environment and Climate Change, Professor Sam Chijioke.
While welcoming participants to Enugu, a city historically significant as a media hub since the pre-Independence era, Governor Mbah explained that “There couldn’t be a more appropriate location for this media workshop.”
The Enugu State Governor who was pleased with the choice of the topic for the training, emphasized the media’s role as ‘the conscience of the nation and a vital pillar of democracy.’
Governor Mbah seized the opportunity of the workshop and showcased Enugu’s innovative use of technology, including the state’s Command and Control Centre, which provides 24/7 surveillance to enhance public safety across the state.
The Governor who said “This facility helps us nip crime in the bud and respond swiftly to emergencies,”highlighted education and infrastructure as key areas of transformation under his leadership.
One major intervention also highlighted is the Smart Green schools project, now active in all 260 wards, and targeting to equip children from age three with problem-solving and innovation skills. “The transformation has been mind-blowing,” he said, noting improvements in literacy and numeracy through technology-driven learning.
According to Governor Mbah, ongoing and completed Enugu’s revamped roads and transport systems have replaced the typical chaos of Nigerian bus parks with dignity and comfort. “Our entire transport system has been designed to ensure the public commutes on well-paved roads without traffic clutter,” he said.
Following the request from members of the SHPC to observe first-hand, many of the people oriented projects being executed by the Enugu State government under Governor Mbah, gentlemen were taken on a six hour tour by Uche Anichukwu, the Senior Special Assistant on External Relations to Governor Mbah.
Among several projects toured by the journalists are one of the five state-of-the-art bus terminals constructed under the Governor’s transportation initiative. Two of these terminals are situated opposit the Holy Ghost Catedral: Terminal 1 serves interstate travel and is connected by a skybridge to Terminal 2, which handles intra-city transportation.
There is one bus terminal each at Gariki, Abakpa, and Nsukka, all similar in design. According to the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Professor Chidiebere Onyia, all five terminals are fully prepared and set to be commissioned for operation at any time in 2025. The SSG joined as a guide on the tour.
Enugu state government believes that focusing on constructing these particular bus terminals in strategic locations significantly improves commercial viability and has strong potential to stimulate economic growth.
About 200 CNG powered buses have since been procured by the government and ready for use when the terminals and other roads’ expansion works in the city have been completed.
Members of the SHPC also visited one of the Type-2 Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs), in Owo. Owo is an electoral ward in Nkanu East Local Government Area (LGA) of the State.
In addition, the Enugu State Governor is in a process of delivering a world-class 300-bed international hospital in the state capital. This ambitious facility is located within an area in Enugu city known as the Three Arms Zone.
Specifically, each of the Type-2 PHCs is being fully equipped with 24-hour electricity, sustainably powered by renewable energy. The PHCs are also provided with staff quarters to ensure healthcare officers are readily available to meet the people’s health needs without delay, along with access to water, sanitation, and hygiene.
Interestingly, the Government is constructing these Type-2 PHCs across 260 electoral wards of the state, a bold initiative that has since attracted the commendation of the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO acknowledges the efforts of the Governor, as giant reforms in the health sector, describing the investment as the most sustainable pathway towards achieving health security and universal health coverage for the people of Enugu State.
“By this laudable initiative, the Governor has set himself and his government apart from others as an outstanding pro-health governor with strong political commitment for health,” WHO’s Zonal Coordinator in the South East, Dr. Chukwu Muanya said in 2024.
Members of the SHPC were impressed by the state government’s quality of intervention in the education sector during their visit to one of the completed Enugu State Smart Green Schools projects in Owo. This groundbreaking educational reform, launched by the Governor in early 2024, aims to revolutionize basic education across all 260 political wards.
Dr. Ogor Chinyere, Special Asviser to the Governor on Education Innovation, confirmed to reporters that “We have recorded a lot of challenges surrounding education. These challenges range from high rate of out of school children, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of teachers development.
“There was the problem of teaching methodology, and lack of curriculum undate, as well as slow pace in the integration of technology in our schools. What our children were learning in schools before now was obsolete.
“So, this vision was brought up by Governor Mbah to provide solutions that improve basic education in the state. Every political ward is entitled to one smart school,” she said.
For the Smart Green schools, the state government targets to flag off their operations in September this year.
Uche Anichukwu, the Senior Special Assistant on External Relations to the Governor, also confirmed to reporters at the site that construction of all the Primary Health Centers (PHCs) and Smart Green Schools across the 260 electoral wards is currently underway. He explained that some of these facilities were recently commissioned by President Bola Tinubu during his visit to the state and are now fully operational.
Another captivating project that drew the attention of the Villa reporters during their visit is the rapidly progressing five-star presidential hotel, designed to turn Enugu State into a premier center for tourism, business, and conferences.
The hotel is strategically situated next to the newly modernized Enugu International Conference Centre and offers 335 rooms, including single rooms, business suites, diplomatic suites, and presidential suites.
While outlining the concept behind the new hotel, the American trained SSG, Professor Onyia noted that the project was being carried out concurrently with the renovation of the once-iconic Hotel Presidential, originally constructed in the 1960s.
Professor Onyia added that after being neglected for several years, the state government awarded a contract to renovate the hotel as part of a comprehensive plan to reactivate idle state assets and establish Enugu as a leading hub for investment, tourism, and hospitality.
SHPC members also visited and witnessed the massive revamp of the Government Technical College (GTC) in Enugu. The formerly rundown and dilapidated GTC, has been revitalized into a state-of-the-art training center, ready as a modern training hub, to offer programmes in ICT, mechanical, electronics, motor production, building architecture, and food production.
Other projects visited by the reporters were the Enugu State Asphalt Plant built with a capacity of 160 tons of asphalt per hour. The facility serves the state’s ambitious infrastructure goals and is as well, commercialized for public use.
Also visited was the Enugu State Tractor Assembly Plant, initiated in partnership with Denmark’s ODK Group and Nortra Tractors, built to uplift the state’s agricultural landscape and economy.
According to Patrick Nwabueze Ubru, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro-Allied Industries, Governor Mbah’s plan is to establish farm settlements of a minimum of 200 hectares, in each local area council of the state.
With the support of the Tractor plant and other interventions, each settlement in the state is to grow crops compatible with its soil texture and environment to minimise crop failure.
In a nation where political promises frequently dissolve into mere rhetoric, Governor Mbah’s quiet yet decisive progress in key sectors demands close attention from other sub-national leaders.
Also remarkable, is how the Governor is rapidly adopting renewable energy to power nearly all projects initiated in the state under his leadership, including his strategy to enhance the state’s capacity to ensure the safety and security of lives in the coal city.
