By Samson Ezea
When sometime in July 2024, Enugu State Governor, Barr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah was conferred with two prestigious awards in Abuja, which include distinguished award for Infrastructure at Nigeria Excellence in Public Service Award, (NEAPs) for his impactful roads and other infrastructural project interventions in the state and award for his immense contributions and support to Micro, Small, and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs ) by the Office of Vice President, I wrote an article titled:Gov. Mbah's Well Deserved Awards And Opposition Social Media Montebanks.
In the article, I went down memory lane to reference other awards that have been conferred on Governor Mbah alongside the two awards mentioned above. As a professional journalist, who understands the basic rules of news reporting or writing, I further buttressed with facts and evidence of Governor Mbah's verifiable giant strides in different sectors of the state economy that earned him these awards and why they were well deserved of him.
I made it very clear that it was not surprising that in just less than one year and a few months in office, Enugu State Governor, Barr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah has been conferred with numerous and well deserved awards, laurels and honours by different organizations, groups, agencies and institutions for disrupting the status quo, breaking the barriers and expanding the frontiers of development and good governance in the state in such a short period.
I also stated that I observed with dismay and disappointment that since these avalanche of meritorious awards and honours were conferred on Gov. Mbah and just like they did before, during and since after 2023 elections with no success or breakthrough, except continous lamentations, name calling, mudslingings and propaganda on social media, the opposition social media urchins, apologists and montebanks, who have not recovered from the shock of Gov. Mbah's defeat of their preferred governorship candidates in the election and can not comprehend Gov. Mbah's development programmes, policies and agenda for the state for political and selfish reasons, have been as usual on social media platforms with Psuedo and fake accounts misyarning, running riot and rantings in the name and guise of phantom constructive criticisms against Gov. Mbah and the numerous meritorious awards conferred on him as if they know better or are well informed, positioned, experienced, exposed, thorough, altrustic, intelligent, educated and upright than the givers and organisers of these awards.
Expectedly and typical of their wiles, these opposition social media hirelings particularly from a particular senatorial zone that strongly backed a known opposition governorship candidate in the 2023belection personalized the fundamental issues I raised in the article by writing and peddling a libelous, fabricated and distorted rejoinder against my person titled: "Samson Ezea and why Peter Mbah’s SMSEs award an insult to Enugu Small business owners" with a Psuedo Ikenna Ngwu as byline.
In their biased and partisan rejoinder, apart from personal and malicious attacks on my personality, they were narcissistic, dismissive and critical of Governor Mbah's long overdue reforms in the tax system, building of major transport terminals, tremendous impact in MSMEs and other remarkable achievements in the state.
It was obvious from the rejoinder that for the mere fact that their preferred candidates and paymasters lost to Governor Mbah in the governorship election, they are still angry and fixated, they haven't seen and will never see anything good in or from Governor Mbah's government to Enugu people. That is how fastidious and picayune they could be in the name of opposition politics. That was why I decided not to dignify the baseless and cowardice rejoinder with a response.
Meanwhile, recently I felt vindicated and fulfilled following the Vice President, Alhaji Kashim Shettima's one day official visit to Enugu State to commission the Enugu State Garment and Fashion Hub as well as unveil the 5th Expanded National Micro, Small, and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSME) Clinics, which are collaborative efforts of the Federal Government and Enugu to boost MSMEs in the state.
Shettima who also used the opportunity to tour some of the infrastructural projects by the Mbah Administration, such as the Command and Control security infrastructure and the International Conference Centre, lauded Mbah's development strides noting that his government is turning the state around through multiple projects across all sectors of the economy.
He stressed that time for politics was over and stressed the Federal Government’s readiness to work with visionary leaders across party lines to move the country forward.
“Let us put politics aside. We are now in the phase of development. Politics is over. We have to coalesce into a single force and face the challenges of underdevelopment in our nation. Governor Peter Mbah means well for the people of Enugu State, and he is humble.
“I am specifically enamoured of his security project. I am happy for his investment in supplying water to Enugu. Most importantly, education is the greatest changer. Within a generation, the son of a peasant can become a celebrated icon. The investment of Peter Mbah in Smart Schools will yield a bountiful harvest in the coming years.
“If I say I was impressed by what I saw in Enugu, it is an understatement. I was overwhelmed by the giant strides recorded by Governor Mbah and his team. He has embraced modernity. He has embraced digital technology. Most of the things I saw are avant-garde technology, state-of-the-art security infrastructure, and a beautiful road network. He is doing excellently well, and he is worthy to be emulated by other governors across the length and breadth of this nation.
“He is one of the few CEOs who are versatile in the potentiality of the Information Technology industry. I want to join all of us here in thanking Governor Peter Mbah for taking charge of the opportunities that abound, and incidentally, the Minister of Science and Technology is here, and he is a son of Enugu. I want you to join forces to see that Enugu occupies its rightful place."
Apart from Shettima's verdict and commendations on Governor Mbah's government in the state which is another testament to Governor Mbah’s performance, vision and commitment towards the rapid development of the state in all fronts, it is of note that Shettima is of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), but that didn't stop him from calling a spade a spade about Gov. Mbah's government and offering of salutary advice to opposition against continuous politicisation, armchair criticisms, and trivialisation of Governor Mbah's good governance in the name of opposition politics.
For those who have been doubtful of Gov. Mbah's support for MSMEs in the state before now, Shettima's visit, strong pronouncements, and verdict have said it all.
Also of interest during Shettima's visit was sight of opposition politicians and leaders in the state and members of National Assembly taking photographs with Shettima and Gov. Mbah. Just like every other sector of the state economy, Governor Mbah's impacts and support in MSMEs are enormous, visible, and evidenced. They are too many to be mentioned here for want of space.
Just like I said in my previous article, the fact remains that Governor Mbah will be Governor of Enugu State till 2027 and with his sterling sterling performance so far, his second term is assured, unless he declares no interest. Finally, unless opposition become more constructive and strategic in their engagements with Mbah’s government, Enugu State maybe opposition free in 2027 because before then, Governor Mbah would have demystified and extinguished them with good governance, democracy dividends and infrastructural development in the state.
As par awards, honours and recognitions, more will be conferred on Governor Mbah in the days, months and years ahead especially as he has continued to innovatively disrupts governance and leadership and disruptively innovates good governance and rare leadership as well, earning for himself the poster boy of quality leadership and good governance in Nigeria.
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