By Samson Ezea

It was the 30th US president and lawyer, Calvin Coolidge, who once said that no person was ever honoured for what he received, rather honour has been the reward for what one gave out to the society.

This, no doubt is a statement of fact and true reflection of the avalanche of the prestigious Newspapers Governor Of The Year awards bestowed on the visionary, focused, pragmatic, courageous and workaholic governor of Enugu state, Barr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, by three national newspapers, namely, The Sun, Vanguard and New Telegraph less than one year in office.

These awards, which are expected and well deserved of the performing governor, are unique, historic, and unprecedented in the annals of newspaper awards in the country. It is the first time a governor will be scooping three newspapers awards at a time and in  less than one year in office.

That these awards came after painstaking assessments and rigorous scrutiny by the management and Board of Editors of these newspapers is clear testimony and true manifestation of Governor Mbah's verifiable, impactful and remarkable achievements in office in less than one year. This is despite the obvious, enormous and daunting challenges facing the governments, the governed and governance in the country today.

Coming just in less than one year of Governor Mbah's assumption of office is a pointer to the fact that while the governor had quickly and wholeheartedly  concentrated attention on his core agenda of providing good governance, security,  peace and basic infrastructural development and human empowerments in the state without noise or fanfare, these newspaper organisations were diligently and covertly keeping tab on his administration’s activities, taking recognition of its giant strides in all sectors of the state economy with the aim, determination and target of raising the state GDP from 4.4bn dollars to 30 billion dollars in the next four years.

For those who may not have been following governance in Enugu State and may ask what Governor Mbah's administration has done differently in less than one year in office to deserve these awards, they are numerous and endless.

Besides, Governor Mbah is a governor with a difference, many firsts and feats so far. He is a rare breed politician who has seen it all and had sure footprints both in public and private sectors before becoming Governor. He assumed the office of the Governor prepared with a clear blueprint, direction and the unique mantra titled Disruptive Innovations.

Since then, Governor Mbah has not rested on his oars as he has radically, fearlessly and quickly disrupted and still disrupting the status quo in all sectors of the state economy in the overall interest and betterment of the people.

As a renowned public servant and great entrepreneur with global reckoning before becoming Governor, Mbah knows that nothing could be achieved in the atmosphere of insecurity and crisis. Hence, he pronounced a ban on the IPOB induced Monday sit-at-home, which has become a ritual and tradition in the state and declared total war against their members and sympathisers in the state and beyond.

Following the nefarious and unhindered activities of the unknown gunmen, kidnappers, and IPOB members in the state in the past, not many believed that Gov. Mbah would make a headway in his fight against them and their illegal sit-at-home that is antithetical to development, peace, security, and economy of the state. 

In collaboration with the state security apparatus, which he repositioned and rejigged with the creation of Distress Response Squad   and the support of the Enugu residents who are tired of the Monday illegal sit-at-home, Gov Mbah has today made the once dreaded and traditional IPOB Monday illegal sit-at-home a thing of the past in state to the surprise and commendations of many within and outside the state.

Even the IPOB members and their sympathisers outside are wondering how Governor Mbah was able to tame them and their heinous and illegal activities in the state alongside their induced Monday sit-at-home This was despite their stiff resistance and blackmail antics against Governor Mbah and his government that ended up as exercise in futility. One remarkable thing about Governor Mbah's truimph and victory against the Monday induced IPOB sit-at-home and their promoters in the state is that since Mbah assumed office unknown gunmen have not struck or attack anywhere, especially in the metropolis.

Just recently, Governor Mbah inaugurated members of State Security Trust Fund with a renowned investment banker, Ike Chioke, as the chairman. This shows the premium Governor Mbah placed on the security of lives and property in the state and the paramount need for enabling and a peaceful environment for businesses and investments to thrive.

When Governor Mbah promised Ndi Enugu that he will make water which was before now a luxury in the state available before first 180 days in office, many thought he was making usual political rhetorics and fake campaign promise that is synonymous with typical Nigeria politicians.

Not many were aware that Governor Mbah has even before emerging as governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the election understudied the problem of perennial water scarcity and solution to it. That was why immediately Mbah assumed office, he moved into action in the water sector with a team of experts that included a foreigner at the helm of affairs.

Lo and behold, after several weeks of massive rehabilitation works and before the expiration of the promised 180 days, water production in the state has rose from 2 million cubic meters per day to 120 million cubic meters with a new 4.4mw gas powered plant that is supplying uninterrupted power to the water facilities at Ninth Mile Ngwo axis and others. Ongoing aggressively across the metropolis and suburbs of the state is massive replacement of dilapidated, old, and rusty water pipes to enhance reticulation of the water to the end users.

Also, across the state, construction work is ongoing simultaneously on the 81 roads Governor Mbah flagged off in October last year. While many have been asphalted, others are primed for asphalting. All the roads being constructed are with standard drainages and thickness. That is why across Enugu capital and its environs, there are frequent and occasional traffic snarl.

From Premier Layout, Ugwuaji, Camp, Golf Estate, New Haven, Trans Ekulu, Independence Layout,  Abakpa, Emene, Obiagu, Goshen, and  Ninth to Ezeagu via Uzo-Uwani LGA and others in Enugu are huge construction sites courtesy of Governor Mbah's government massive, aggressive and  critical infrastructural projects.

In the area of education, the Mbah administration has commenced the construction of smart schools across the 260 wards in the state with the Owo pilot project nearing completion. The agricultural sector is receiving the needed attention and boost with the cultivation of cassava on over 500 hectares of land across the state.

Unlike his colleagues who have mapped out specific agendas or sectors of interest for development and intervention, Mbah is not leaving any sector of the state economy unattended. His government is aggressively and eagerly making impact, harnessing and integrating all sectors of the state economy for overall economic growth and development geared at making the state investors' destination and improving the state GDP from 4.4bn dollars to 30 billion dollars.

It is obvious and not in doubt that with the unprecedented manner, finesse, panache and seriousness Governor Mbah has disruptively and dedicatedly conducted the business of governance and what he has achieved in less than one year in office, it is certain that the state will witness aggressive and quantum development, change and growth that will restore its dignity and takes it to enviable height and global economic reckoning in the next four years of Mbah's first term.

In this case, more international and national awards, recognitions, and laurels await Governor Mbah ahead. What it means is that the Newspaper awards are nothing but tips of iceberg and stepping stones to what a pacesetter like Governor Mbah will earn for his outstanding and sterling performance and leadership in office in the days ahead.

Ezea wrote from Independence Layout, Enugu State