Senior federal public servants in Abuja under the auspices of Coal City Elites Forum, CCEF, have commended the governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, for what they described as his superlative performance less than two years in office.
This was even as the governor reiterated his commitment to growing Enugu economy through private sector investment.
The group gave the commendation during a roundtable with Governor Mbah in Abuja at the weekend.
In a speech delivered by the President of CCEF, Ambassador Benito Eze, the group assured the governor of continued support in his effort to build a new and well-repositioned Enugu State.
“We commend you on your numerous achievements within one year in office, in leading our dear Enugu State to greater heights, especially in the areas of infrastructural developments, digital economy, smart education facilities, and building strong alliance with the international community, such as facilitating the establishment of a United Kingdom Visa Centre in Enugu.
“Other recent notable and impactful achievements such as the N40bn agreement to revitalise Sunrise Flour Mills, deployment of technology to improve security, reviving of the long-abandoned Hotel Presidential, and recreational parks, which will not only create employment opportunities, but boost tourism potential in the State.
“All these we cannot fail to acknowledge and value deeply. We in CCEF family assure you of our unflinching support and cooperation in whatever is beneficial to our people, in providing effective, efficient and good governance. We want to assure you that this family is readily available and accessible to partner and cooperate with your administration in the development of our beloved state,” Ambassador Eze stated.
The group lauded in particular Governor Mbah’s transformational effort in the education sector, including the 33 per cent budgetary allocation to the sector and the ongoing establishment of Smart Green Schools in all the 260 electoral wards in the state.
The group said the governor had shown vision, determination, and grit in running the affairs of Enugu State, but advocated the institutionalisation of the reforms through legislations to avoid their reversal by any future governments, an action they fear would set the state back.
Speaking, Governor Mbah, who highlighted his administration’s initiatives, explained that his interventions across all the sectors were products of empirical research and planning, and people centred.
He noted that the efforts across the sectors were equally targeted at ease of doing business, adding that the administration had attracted over N300bn worth of investments in the last three months.
“There are currently over 1,000 ongoing landmark projects across the state. These projects, which would be completed on schedule, were not driven by vainglory. They were well-conceived to hasten Enugu’s development, and wean the state off its dependency on disbursements from the federation account.
“In the last three months, we have secured over N300 billion in investments. The sheer number of inquiries we are receiving is an indication that our message resonates with the private sector. Investors are inspired by actions – not words. They have all seen the critical enablers we have put in place to enhance the ease-of-doing-business.
“This ease-of-doing-business climate has led to revitalising of a number of moribund assets of the state such as Enugu United Palm Products Ltd, courtesy of a N100 billion partnership between the Enugu State government and Pragmatic Palms Ltd; Hotel Presidential, which will reopen in November this year; International Conference Centre, which will be completed and commissioned by next month. Niger Gas Limited, Emene, which should be ready to return to production by December this year; and the Enugu International Hospital on Rangers Avenue, which we have just awarded for completion as a 300-bed international hospital that will ultimately serve the entire South East and indeed other regions of the country,” he stated. 
