The Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, has once again renewed his call for the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
He noted the timely release of the IPOB leader will ease the tensed security situation across states in the South East, adding that, “freeing Kanu is the right thing to do.”
Mbah made the call during his presentation on “Leadership and Transformation” at the Showcase Session of the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference going on in the state.
The Governor disclosed that his first official visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was centered on advocating for Kanu’s release.
He said, “My first visit to the President was about Nnamdi Kanu. I believe that the right thing to do is to release him. Hopefully, that will be done soon.”
The Governor explained that his state had already moved beyond the disruptive effects of the sit-at-home order imposed every Monday across the Southeast following Kanu’s detention.
According to him, “We met a situation where people were compelled to stay at home every Monday. Now, people trade in Ogbete and other markets in peace on Mondays. Monday sit-at-home has ended in Enugu, as you (lawyers) can see. You can also move around and investigate.”
Kanu, has been standing trial on terrorism charges at the Federal High Court in Abuja since 2021 since after his extradition and rendition from Kenya.
The IPOB leader has also denied all the terrorism charges allegations brought against him by the federal government.
Speaking on leadership and governance, Governor Mbah stated that transformational leadership required courage, vision, and disruptive strategies.
“Our vision was to grow Enugu’s economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion, to reduce the poverty headcount to zero, and to make Enugu the preferred destination in Nigeria for business, for tourism, and for living. We imagined a state that, within eight years, would be completely unrecognisable from the one we inherited,” he emphasized.
He pointed out that achieving such bold targets required deliberate investments in security and infrastructure.
“None of our visions and targets would have been possible without security. So, from the outset, we built a tech-driven, intelligence-led security architecture anchored in our Command and Control Centre. With round-the-clock AI surveillance across our neighbourhoods, integrated response units (DRS), and community partnership, Enugu has recorded an over 80 per cent reduction in violent crime.”
“This stability is the bedrock upon which investment, jobs, and society can grow,” the governor said.
Mbah maintained that his administration currently has over 2,000 ongoing or completed projects spanning health, roads, transport, agriculture, and education. He also defended his decision to allocate over 33 per cent of the state’s budget to education, describing it as an investment in the future.
“We committed over 33 per cent of our budget to education – a decision some thought was reckless. But we knew it was essential. The real wealth of Enugu, now and in the future, rests on the quality of its human capital,” he added.
