By Prince Ejeh Josh
…as Mbah vows disruptive innovation, digital economy, war against poverty
The people of Awkunanaw Development Centre in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State have re-echoed their support for Dr. Peter Mbah, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, ahead of the March 11, 2023 general elections.
Describing Dr. Mbah’s gubernatorial candidacy in the state as their collective project, they assured the party that they had been shouldering the responsibility, and would stop at nothing until the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declares him as the governor-elect on March 11, 2023.
Stakeholders and leaders of the different communities in the development centre who converged on Akegbe-Ugwu in their thousands, yesterday, at a town hall meeting organised to penetrate the grassroots and explore their needs and expectations from Mbah’s administration, said they were confident that Mbah would transform the state with his sound, outstanding and excellent development programmes.
While noting that Mbah’s governorship project should be borne as a personal one by every electorate in the Nkanu nation, and the entire state in general, a former ranking lawmaker in the state, Rt. Hon. USA Igwesi, said he had met with his people who assured him that they’re carrying the project on their heads with an undiluted passion because of their unflinching conviction in the credentials of the governorship flagbearer.
He appealed to the PDP governorship hopeful to attract massive infrastructure to the area, especially the prioritization of the Obeagu-Amodu-Akegbe road which links different communities in the development centre.
In their separate speeches, the administrator of the development centre, Hon. Pius Ngene, chairman of the council area, Hon. Uche Ejim, member representing the constituency at the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Iloabuchi Aniagolu, and the Nkanu West/Nkanu East Federal Constituency lawmaker, Hon. Nnolim Nnaji, extolled the leadership qualities, massive infrastructure and empowerment projects attracted to the constituency, including all the communities in the area, under the PDP administration.
They observed that their people are comfortable with the party having delivered on its promises and mandate since 1999, a guynd are ready to continue to partner with it for more development projects that will change the face of the state.
Enumerating the long list of the projects they had benefited under the party to include appointments, elective positions, road construction, new schools, electricity and other social amenities, the electorate at the event said PDP is their first party of choice and would deliver bloc votes for the candidates of the party regardless of their political affiliation.
In his remark, the Director General of the Odalije Support Group for Peter Mbah, Engr. Okwudiri Ohaa, commended the tremendous human capital development the PDP has brought to the state, adding that Mbah would consolidate and build on the achievements of the party when he assumes office on May 29, 2023.
Engr Ohaa, who is the Enugu State Chief Fire Officer, while affirming their faith in the PDP gubernatorial standard bearer based on his past and present records in the private sector, promised that they would deliver their polling units for Mbah and other candidates.
On their part, a former chairman of the local government, Hon. Nwabueze Nnamani, former commissioner, Hon. Emeka Okeke, former PDP governorship aspirant, Hon.Barr. Nwabueze Ugwu, a councilor in the area, Mrs. Irene Nnamani, Engr. Steve Aval, and the spokesman for the presidents-general in the 5 political wards in the development centre, Chief Charles Ngene, expressed optimism that their people stand to benefit more in Mbah’s government and in the PDP.
They insisted that they would not lose a single vote to other political parties even though some of them are non-partisan because of the positions they are holding in their various communities.
While reaffirming their commitment to make a strong statement through the ballot papers, Mrs. Nnamani stated that women would use their voting strength and other influence to woo massive votes to deliver Mbah and ensure his victory.
Responding to the carnival-like town hall meeting and the huge support he enjoys among the stakeholders and masses at the development centre, Mbah expressed gratitude for their show of solidarity and love, saying that the election had already been taken and won by the PDP.
Mbah, who said he would bring unprecedented development and exponential economic explosion that will tackle insecurity, unemployment, youths restiveness, and decaying state of infrastructure, re-emphasized that the state under him would do things radically differently from the marginal growth pace in the state and the country in general.
The oil and gas entrepreneur vowed that he would bring back the state to its past glory as the prestigious headquarters and epicenter of the former Eastern Region of Nigeria through his planned disruptive innovations.
In order to achieve the Enugu State of everyone’s dream, Mbah asserted that the planned, strategic model of his administration would be to look inwards, tapping into the dormant assets and resources in the state, train the youths on digital skills required for the 21st century global economy, invest heavily on vocational and technical institutions and centres for skills in science such as artificial intelligence, robotics, mechatronics, financial technology, e-commerce, among others.
He also contended that the state could not afford to continue to depend on the mono-petrol-chemical federal allocations which are rapidly declining, stressing that the world is migrating to a global digital economy which the state must do a quick catch up through his deliberate policies of disruptive innovation and exponential growth.
Assuring that his administration will grow the economy seven-fold from $4.4 billion to $30 billion, declare war against poverty by eradicating hunger through mechanized commercial agriculture, Mbah revealed that his plan is to diversify the economy through integrated sector based blueprint that will move the state away from public sector to private sector-driven economy.
