Mbah defends Tinubu: Enugu governor rules out return to fuel subsidy, cites investor confidence and social interventions, and outlines plans for 24-hour electricity, improved roads and global air connectivity.
Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s removal of the fuel subsidy, describing a return to the policy as counterproductive while urging the country to focus on attracting investment, creating jobs and translating economic reforms into tangible benefits for citizens.
Mbah spoke on Wednesday at the Meet the Candidates town hall meeting organised by Afia TV in Enugu, where he also defended his administration’s performance, insisting that it had delivered good governance across sectors in line with its campaign manifesto.
He described calls for the reintroduction of fuel subsidy as a misconception of the country’s economic realities and development trajectory.
“If you reintroduce fuel subsidy today, we will lose ten times whatever we are currently trying to gain in terms of the removal of subsidy. The poverty rate that you are going to experience will be very high because the naira would be automatically devalued.
“We cannot go back to subsidy. And I do not think it is in the interest of the country for us to even debate that.
“Again, we should not even debate it because we do not want to send a signal to prospective investors that we are contemplating it. That would take us back. It is going to create panic in the system. It is going to get investors to pull back.
“Those that are coming in today to invest in that sector will become jittery. So, it is not even a subject to debate. It is something that we have moved on from, and we should be thinking about how to ensure that the natural benefits cascade to the households, create jobs and generate wealth for our people,” he said.
The governor urged the Federal Government to sustain efforts to attract private capital, pointing to developments in the stock market as evidence of growing investor activity.
He also credited Tinubu’s economic policies with stabilising key macroeconomic indicators and improving the environment for foreign direct investment.
“You can see quite a lot of funds coming into our country, not just portfolio investments, but also direct investments. It is also going to strengthen because the macro indicators are right,” he stated.
Mbah argued that the previous subsidy regime disproportionately benefited wealthy Nigerians, while the removal had created an opportunity for government to direct assistance towards poorer households.
“By the way, I do not think the subsidy we practised before the President removed it was even the right one for the country because even the people we were looking at benefiting from it were only insignificantly benefiting from it. It was largely beneficial to our wealthy folks.
“But now, you can almost notice that the government is doing that in targeting the poor, using proceeds from subsidy removal. The government is aggressive on cash transfers. There is also the programme where the government is targeting 1,000 persons per ward across the entire country to be able to provide seed capital for them to become productive,” he added.
Mbah Lists Projects, Outlines Second-Term Vision
Turning to his administration’s record, Mbah said his government had remained committed to its promises to the people of Enugu State, citing infrastructure, education, healthcare and transportation projects as evidence of progress.
He challenged residents to compare the state before his inauguration with its present development trajectory, listing the revival of Hotel Presidential, Enugu International Hospital, the International Conference Centre, Enugu Air, transport terminals, Smart Green Schools and Type 2 Primary Healthcare Centres among the initiatives undertaken by his administration.
“Let us imagine the Enugu we knew four years ago. Let us just imagine an Enugu without Hotel Presidential. Let us imagine an Enugu without the International Conference Centre. Let us imagine an Enugu without Enugu Air. Let us imagine Enugu without the transport terminals, the 268 Smart Green Schools, 260 Type 2 Primary Healthcare Centres.
“You do not want them to imagine an Enugu without the International Hospital. You do not want them to imagine an Enugu without the CNG buses, the Nigergas. I think the list is endless.
“But I even think that we can stretch that imagination further because the work ahead will be more profound. Just imagine an Enugu where our children are receiving education that prepares them for the world because they have been imbued with evolving 21st-century skills. Imagine again an Enugu where you do not have any part of the city with an unpaved road.
“Also, imagine an Enugu in four years’ time that generates 660 megawatts of electricity; where we are able to provide 24-hour power supply; where you cannot come into your house and have the light off; and where people can run their businesses for a whole week without worrying about the cost of diesel. Just imagine an Enugu where you generate electricity and the people of Enugu are buying that at 120 naira because they own the coal that feeds the power plant.
“Imagine an Enugu where you now have to ride, not just on our CNG buses, but you have the monorail that can take you from point A to point B. Imagine an Enugu where you can fly from here to the United Kingdom, to the United States and other parts of the world,” he charged the electorate.
The governor said his second-term agenda would build on the foundation laid during his first term, with proposed priorities including expanded road infrastructure, reliable electricity, affordable power, improved public transportation and international air connectivity.
He urged residents to support his re-election bid, arguing that sustaining the state’s development trajectory would require continuity and a commitment to higher standards of governance.
“If these imaginations capture our fancy, then we have a duty to fight for it. We do have a duty to continue to make sure that the bar does not come down and that the standard we have set in Enugu is sustained,” he concluded.
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