By Dr. Hyginus Eze

In the 1980’s in the US election, Ronald Reagan swept away the incumbent Jimmy Carter in a groundswell of support to clinch the Presidency largely because the economy was in trouble, and Jimmy appeared to be at his wit’s end. Fast forward to year 2009 - George Bush Jr. was serving out his tenure as President, but the economy was experiencing some deep challenges. Bush had launched attacks on Iraq and Afghanistan, and the wars had taken a toll on the economy.  

Again America needed an economic messiah. Barack Obama came to the rescue, and returned the country to the path of economic glory. His successor, Donald Trump, was economically savvy, but he was deficient in an important area – he was not a bridge-builder. His garrulousness and narrow nationalist rhetoric soon sapped away his goodwill. Expectedly, he lost at the polls. 

The election of Joe Biden was predictable, especially considering his long-standing goodwill among the minorities. In the 1980’s Biden made a name for himself as an anti-Apartheid crusader. After Trump’s polarising politics, America needed someone with the cosmopolitan mind-set of Biden. The nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Afro-American woman, to serve on the US Supreme Court, is evidential of Biden’s broad-mindedness. 

Across the Atlantic, the United Kingdom needed Boris Johnson to bluster their way through the Brexit log-jam; Angel Merkel – calm and composed – expanded the export capabilities of Germany to a record breaking level, and launched the country as an economic lampstand on the global stage. Whether it is Japan or South-Korea, including Modi’s India, indeed in all the countries on the move, the economy is always on the fore-stage when going to the poll.

In other words, in advanced societies, voting is a strategic business. It is at the polls that the destiny of the State or Country is decided. In Nigeria, where the oil revenue is on a helpless downward spiral, economic consideration has never been as urgent as it is today, whether at the National or State level.

In assisting Peter Mbah to emerge as the PDP flag-bearer of the State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has consolidated his love for Enugu people. Ugwuanyi will, in the fullness of time, leave his people in good hands. Barr. Mbah’s emergence is like a long-awaited disclosure; it is like discovering a sparkling spring in a desert. Indeed economic revolution is in the offing!

Mbah’s notion of ‘radical disruption’ amounts to nothing less than system revolution. It is like uprooting a system from the foundation and enthroning something fundamentally new. His ability to haul himself from almost nothing to economic pre-eminence though sheer hard work is ample evidence that he is more than capable of system-overhaul.

Pinnacle Oils and Gas was established in 2008. Barr. Mbah built the company from scratch. Today, the company has successfully competed out and overtaken Mobil, Oando etc. in the downstream sector. Don’t forget that Mobil dates back to 1907, more than a century ago, and Oando 1956, more than six decades now. That Pinnacle began in a studio apartment, and in a space of fourteen years metamorphosed into a Giant in the oil sector is a testimonial to, not only Mba’s extraordinary managerial abilities, but also to his uncommon courage and boldness.

It gives me goose-pimples to contemplate the amount of grit, the impressive resilience and the astonishing skills that a man must have to actualise such a feat. If you are not marvelled by this exceptional accomplishment I am. Therefore, when he declares that he is coming to radically disrupt the system, we must take him seriously. What about his values?

The values Peter Ndubuisi Mbah espouses are as captivating as his economic capabilities. I have not had the privilege of speaking with him personally, but I have overheard him on phone. Every word from him resonated with sense. Quiet and soft-spoken, he comes through as more of an observer than a talker, yet it is easy to see that his mind is super-charged with ideas.

He remarked in an interview that some people are attracted by extrinsic and materialistic stuff, while others are driven towards the intrinsic. Apparently, he belongs to the latter – those for whom life is about impact. Always simply turned out and unassuming, he seems to be averse to a life of pomp and circumstances. His is the kind of life determinedly organised around vision and service. Pinnacle Oils and Gas probably generates more revenue than Enugu State, yet Peter Mbah is leaving a business of such magnitude to serve his people. How many of us would make such a sacrifice? We owe Barr. Mbah a great fund of gratitude.

The emergence of Peter Mbah from the long-neglected and long-suffering Nkanu East marks the triumph of justice. But more than that Enugu has gained an economic meteorite. All hands must be on deck to bring him to the Lion Building. Economic prosperity is like rainfall, it does not fall on one house-hold and leave the other. Keep your PVCs close. Enugu is pregnant with new opportunities and breakthroughs. Let us join hands to midwife the new Baby! 

God bless Ugwuanyi! God bless Mbah/Ossai! God bless our dear Coal City!

Hyginus Eze, PhD Aberdeen, writes from Independence Layout, Enugu.