Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah, has praised President Bola Tinubu for taking “bold initiatives and tough decisions” on fuel subsidy removal and the unification of Nigeria’s multiple exchange rates, saying the reforms have boosted state revenues and unlocked a wave of new development projects.
Speaking on Thursday at the inauguration of a compressed natural gas (CNG) bus terminal in Enugu, Mbah said the measures had released funds for investments that would have been impossible under the previous system.
“Those projects would not have been possible but for some of the bold initiatives and tough decisions that His Excellency President Bola Tinubu took,” Mbah said. “You just mentioned one—the removal of fuel subsidies—but also the removal of the arbitrage in the exchange rate, bringing the exchange rate together because we all knew the flaws in that system.”
The governor said that before the reforms, many states struggled to pay salaries from their monthly allocations, leaving little room for capital investment. “We were hardly able to pay salaries, and except if there was a windfall, you couldn’t contribute to capital projects. But today, that is not the case. We are not just talking about paying salaries; we are executing humongous projects thanks to these bold initiatives and tough decisions taken by President Tinubu.”
Mbah cited the construction of 7,000 new classrooms across Enugu—at a pace of 60 per week—as one of the flagship initiatives made possible by the extra funds. Each “smart green school,” he said, is equipped with 21st-century learning facilities, including robotics and artificial intelligence centres, CGI studios, and virtual and augmented reality labs.
He also thanked Tinubu for concessioning the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, pledging Enugu’s support for the president’s economic vision.
The minister of information and national orientation, Mohammed Idris, who was in the state to inaugurate federal projects, commended Mbah for aligning with Tinubu’s “renewed hope” agenda. Idris described Enugu as a strategic state for the South-East and for Nigeria as a whole, and said the president’s economic reforms were already bearing fruit.
“The removal of fuel subsidy was a bold decision that has freed up resources for impactful governance,” Idris said. “It is not just the governor of Enugu State that is working—President Bola Tinubu is also joining hands to work for the benefit of your people.”
The minister, on his first official visit to the South-East, said the government’s one trillion-dollar economy target was “already in sight,” acknowledging that the early stages of the reforms had been tough. “The beginning was challenging, but we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Nigeria is turning the corner,” he said.
In a thinly veiled political pitch, Idris added, “I will not sit down without telling you, Your Excellency, that we are still waiting,” hinting at an invitation for the governor—a member of the opposition—to join the ruling All Progressives Congress.
