By Prof. C. C. Ngwu

It was Sydney Smith of the 1800s Royal College Institution that demonstrated the human tendency of fixing round pegs in square holes in a situation where they do not have the square pegs needed to fit in. Hence he emphasized the need to fix round pegs in round holes and square pegs in square holes as the only way to ensure balance and stability.

As the 2023 Gubernatorial election in Enugu State draws near, some great sons of Enugu State have presented themselves in various parties to be elected to superintendent the affairs of the State.

Some of these men are, no doubt, eminently qualified to lead the state; the task then becomes who amongst the refined gentlemen should be sent first to lead the state? Who is the square peg that will fit into this square hole? Who is the fix we need?

To answer this, one ought to properly identify the present needs of the state, assess the unique qualities of these qualified candidates and identify the one who suits perfectly as the square peg in the square hole.

For a state that prides itself as the political capital of Eastern Nigeria, most rural areas have been inaccessible in Enugu which made development impossible in rural areas that account for more than 70% of the state.

This explains why the Administration of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has focused on providing access roads to the rural areas across the state, providing primary health care, building and renovating primary schools and law courts in those rural areas for easy dissemination of justice and making learning environment conducive.

A project he has carried out strategically and simultaneously across the state.

Having these basic amenities provided by the current administration, it is pertinent that the next Governor must be an individual with perfect understanding of the economy, such that he can strategically make use of these amenities provided by this administration and transform them into tangible revenue earnings for the State.

These can be done by building companies and factories relative to each locality, from Agriculture to Mining, to Trade and Tourism, so that there would be reasons to ply those rural roads and make them have impact on the lives of rural dwellers, generate revenues and improve the standard of living of the people.

With proper integration of rural areas into the economy of the state by making them viable through the establishment of state of the art industries, the creation of a digital infusion driven by technological innovation, it becomes the icing on the cake in an effort to put Enugu State on the global map.

Having identified the fix Enugu needs at this point in time, it becomes a matter of absolute necessity that a man with proven track record in economic transformation through industrialization and technological innovation be elected to take over the Lion Building come 2023.

This is where the March 17th, 1972 born PDP Gubernatorial Candidate, Barr. (Dr.) Peter Ndubuisi Mbah comes in.

A young indigene of Owo Kingdom in Nkanu East who gained vast knowledge of diversity, development and exposure from his secondary school days, which he completed at Ogun State before gaining university education from the University of East London where he obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) Degree in the year 2000.

Peter Mba went on to bag other Outstanding Honours From prestigious Institutions which include:

Masters Degree, Business Administration, IESE Business School, Barcelona.

Chief Executive Program, Lagos Business School

PGD, Strategy and Innovation, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

CEP, Stanford and Havard Business Schools.

Masters Degree, Maritime and Commercial Law, Lagos State University.

Apart from Academic honours earned across prestigious institutions in the world, Mr. Peter Mbah started his Giant strides in trade and industry from his post primary school days where he engaged in commercial trading in the City of Portharcourt.

He has since then successfully established and run various businesses which include but not limited to:

Peter Mbah Investment Limited,

GILPEL Industries LTD,

Focus International Schools, and 

Pinnacle Oil and Gas.

It is a very strong indication that if industrialization, technological innovation and accelerated rural development would lead to economic transformation, then unarguably, Barr. Peter Mbah is the square peg in a square hole; the fix we need.

However, beyond being a perfect match to Enugu State's most important needs at this point of economic downturn in Nigeria, the 50 Year old Peter Mbah is reputed for having outstanding Leadership qualities that distinguishes him in every public position he has held.

Starting from the period he led the Students Law Society to win the Prestigious Award of the Most Productive Society of the year, as the President in 1999, to when he won the Award as the Most Outstanding Commissioner of Finance in Nigeria, which made Newswatch Magazine to describe him as "A Man Ahead of His Time," Barr. Peter Mbah has continued to leave giant footprints in the sands of time whenever he is called on to serve.

That, indeed, is a trademark of excellence that has placed him in the board of several organizations and made the People's Democratic Party(PDP) in Enugu State to present him forward to fly their flag in the 2023 Gubernatorial Election.

Intellectual sagacity, economic mastery and academic honours are not the only hallmarks of Barr. Peter Mbah, as beyond the sophistry of a man of his caliber, he is, also, a gentle, humble and meek hearted man that has gone the extra mile to give hope to the hopeless and uplift the downtrodden through the Peter Mbah Foundation.

Through the foundation, he built a 40 bed hospital, several kilometers of rural road in Owo (his home town), paid hospital bills, awarded countless scholarships and dedicated various buildings to various institutions, just to mention, but a few.

In analysing a holistic view of the needs, the wishes and aspirations of ndị Enugu alongside the personality of Barr. Peter Mbah, one would, but, agree that the gentleman is the fix we need urgently in Enugu State.

INDEED, TOMORROW IS REALLY HERE & TO GOD BE THE GLORY. MAY THE BLESSINGS BE AS ALWAYS!!!

Prof. Chris Chimdubem Ngwu is a Professor of Mass Communication at Enugu State University of Science and Technology(ESUT).