Anichukwu Counters Social Media Critics, Lists Gov Mbah’s Projects, Reforms

The Special Assistant to Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah on Media and External Relations, Mazi Uche Anichukwu, has responded to recent social media criticisms of the Mbah administration, outlining what he described as key reforms and investments in revenue generation, agriculture, industrialisation, education and aviation.

Anichukwu, in a detailed response to the criticisms, on Sunday, disputed claims that residents of Enugu State are being overtaxed, arguing that the administration had actually reviewed and reduced some state-level charges while eliminating daily revenue collection from petty traders.

He said a committee comprising government representatives, organised labour, civil society organisations and market leaders had reviewed the state's revenue regime and found Enugu's rates comparatively lower than those of other South-East states before further reductions were made.

According to him, the administration's increase in internally generated revenue (IGR) from N26.8 billion in 2022 to N406.7 billion in 2025 was driven largely by reforms in revenue collection and the monetisation of government assets rather than increased taxation.

Anichukwu said only N51.5 billion, representing 12.6 per cent of the 2025 IGR, came from tax revenues, while N355.2 billion, or 87.4 per cent, came from non-tax sources.

He attributed the growth to measures including the Consolidated Demand Notice, Treasury Single Account (TSA), electronic payment systems and tighter controls designed to block leakages.

He further argued that the administration had redirected revenue into capital projects, pointing to the capital-to-recurrent expenditure ratios in the state budgets.

According to him, capital expenditure accounted for 79 per cent of the 2024 budget, 86 per cent of the 2025 budget and 80 per cent of the 2026 budget.

On industrialisation and agriculture, Anichukwu said the administration had attracted private-sector partnerships for the revival of several abandoned assets and agricultural projects.

He cited the N100 billion investment in the revival and expansion of Enugu United Palm Products Limited (EUPPL), describing the project as an agro-industrial hub being expanded from its original 6,700 hectares to about 20,000 hectares.

He said the project, operated through a public-private partnership involving Diamond Stripe Limited under Pragmatic Palms Limited, had commenced commercial production of refined palm products, while about $2.2 million was being invested in a refinery for palm oil and palm-kernel products.

Anichukwu also cited the revival of the 10,000-hectare Enugu Tribu Songhai Farms in Ezeagu, the proposed revival of Premier Cashew Industry, the development of 200-hectare farm estates across the state's 260 political wards, and the Nortra Tractor Assembly and Service Plant, which he said was being developed in partnership with ODK Group of Denmark.

He added that the administration was developing an Integrated Livestock Development Centre at Ubahu/Amankanu and partnering with the South East Development Commission on mechanised agricultural projects across three local government areas.

On industrial assets, Anichukwu listed the completion of the Enugu International Conference Centre, the upgrade of Hotel Presidential, the ongoing revival of Sunrise Flour Mills and the revitalisation of Nigergas Limited.

He said Nigergas, established in 1962 and dormant for decades, was revived in August 2025 with upgraded equipment for the production of medical and industrial gases.

According to him, the plant now has an installed capacity of 100 cubic metres of oxygen per hour and 45 cubic metres of acetylene per hour, while plans are underway for nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide and CNG facilities.

On education, Anichukwu said criticisms of the administration's Smart Green School initiative were based on a misunderstanding of its broader education policy.

He explained that the programme was designed around experiential learning, beginning from early childhood education and incorporating technology-driven learning, robotics, artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, and the Internet of Things.

He said pupils would receive free uniforms and daily meals, while the administration was also developing Smart/Model Secondary Schools across the 17 local government areas and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions across the state's federal constituencies.

He particularly highlighted the Government Technical College (GTC), Enugu, which he said had been transformed from a dilapidated facility into a modern technical institution with practical training equipment and accommodation for up to 1,000 students.

On aviation, Anichukwu described the establishment of Enugu Air as another major intervention, saying the airline had expanded connectivity between Enugu, Abuja, Lagos and Kano.

Anichukwu said the airline's regional expansion would include a planned Enugu-Douala service from September 23, 2026, followed by other West and Central African destinations. He also said the administration was working towards establishing direct international connectivity beyond Africa.

On the state's overall performance, Anichukwu cited the 2026 Phillips Consulting States Performance Index, which placed Enugu at the top among the states assessed for improvement relative to the national average.

The report, according to published accounts, assessed 33 states using 37 indicators across security, education, health, infrastructure, governance, economic development and fiscal performance, combining objective data with citizen-perception data.

He also cited Enugu's reported movement from 35th to sixth position in the national ease-of-doing-business rankings by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).

Anichukwu acknowledged that challenges remain but urged critics to assess the administration against verifiable projects and reforms rather than what he described as narratives circulating online.

He consequently invited critics and members of the public to visit the various projects across the state and independently assess their implementation.

“Let’s give Mbah his flowers, please,” Anichukwu said, stressing that the governor had spent only a little over three years in office.