By Ellis Ugwuoke
The holy book says in Romans 8:30, “Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified”. In other words, God does not call the qualified into service but rather qualifies those He has called no matter their short comings. When Abraham was called, God moved him far away to a foreign land where he passed through the test of qualification. Moses was called from the comfort of pharaoh’s palace unto the land of servitude to prepare him for a date with destiny. And so was David; not forgetting Saul of Tarsus that was called to become Paul the Apostle. There was also Zik of Africa, Kwame Nkuruma, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi and of course, Nelson Mandela. These men left the trails of being called by God to do things that looked impossible in the eyes of men within their clime.
From all indications Bar Peter Ndubuisi Mbah is in the mold of those who were called by God as change agents in the affairs of men.
BACKGROUND
His birth and growing up, as has hugely been published, did not give room for cheer nor an incline to possible greatness. But like the patriarch, David, the Sauls and Goliaths of this world would not be enough to scuttle his destiny and a call to service.
A lot has been said and written, contrary to reason and good conscience, to denigrate his person and misguide the public. Some say he is corrupt; others say he is a product of a Gestapo gang of politicians called ‘ebeano’. But I have never heard anyone say that he is inept or unfit. The lame excuse of corruption has long been laid to rest by a clean bill from the EFCC. Similarly, the ebeano connection is also dead on arrival as most purveyors of such news are products of the same family. It is only a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Truth is, the hood does not make the monk. His character utterances and disposition has not, even remotely, portrayed the vile or violence associated with ‘ebeano’ On the contrary he has strongly maintained that his ambition is not worth the blood of any citizen and sternly warned his followers against any firm of violence or vice. There is much more to Peter than the narrow and parochial narratives being foisted on our psyche by mischief makers. I would rather there is an objective assessment of his antecedents in both public office and private business vis-a-vis his manifesto and campaign promises as he asks for the mandate to serve again in a higher capacity. This honest and objective analysis I have set out to do in this piece.
PUBLIC OFFICE
It is not my intention to repeat his sterling performances in public office as these are sufficiently available in public space. But suffices it however, to point out that within just a span of four years serving first as Chief of Staff, he was able to earn the trust and confidence of his boss by sterling performances that he was moved to a higher responsibility – Commissioner for Finance. Within the same period he so excelled in the later assignment that he was adjudged the best in that portfolio across the country. Some people including those contesting the Governorship position with him, have been in public office for over twelve years but have no strategic initiative or legacy of note to their credit. Peter Mbah served for a Short while, made so much impact and left when the ovation was loudest.
PRIVATE BUSINESS
In private business he showed class, dept of wisdom, sound knowledge and uncommon zeal. The result was astounding and unbelievably astonishing. The petroleum industry, especially the down stream sector where his company is a major player is the most volatile and unpredictable sector of the Nigerian economy. Many players including foreign conglomerates, who have been in the business since the 70s had their fingers burnt and their investments eroded. Yet it is here that Peter would venture and conquer within just a decade using his Pinnacle oil. This pinnacle miracle has given Mbah’s traducers and political opponents so much sleepless nights that they sought to rationalize and cheapen the feat with “stolen wealth” toga. I laugh. Stollen wealth is a product of profligacy and easy virtue. It follows a pattern of waste and flight to the land of nowhere. The lot that missed the offshore voyage usually are found in special septic tanks and secret ‘graves’ where moth and beetles feast to their fill. On the other hand, if stolen wealth from public office were to be so productively engaged even half as much as what Peter Mbah did in Pinnacle oil, Nigeria would have long became the largest economy in the world. Recall that 24 years after Sani Abacha’s death, his stolen wealth is still being repatriated. Yet he never stepped his feet outside Nigeria for the five years of his rule. Check out all the people who have held executive leadership in the States and Federation since 1999. You will find them cruising around in private jets and chattered flights with no serious productive engagements to account for their profligacy. That is the character of stolen wealth.
The truth is that Peter Mbah is a miracle waiting to happen because he was called of God. As such whatever he touched en route this divine destination turned to gold. As Gamaliel would advice the Pharisees in Acts 5:39, ” but if it is of God no one can scuttle it; you ( traducers) may even be found to be fighting God”.
HIS PLAN FOR THE FUTURE.
In his quest to lead Enugu State come 2023, Peter Mbah is not just coming with sound credentials of his sterling performances in public and private sector (yesterday’s glory), he is equally coming with a robust and unassailable plan to take the state to the glorious future of our dream; hence the mantra, ‘Tomorrow is here’. His blue print for the future is captured in his manifesto which has taken the media by storms and have dominated public discuss ever since. The public presentation of the manifesto has separated the boys from the men in political contest not just in Enugu State but the country at large. The document speaks volumes of his preparedness and zeal to bring our tomorrow down to today. Other contestants could neither match his drive and tenacity nor compare with him by any parameters. Having seen his past achievements this document becomes the bases of assessing his great potentials and future possibilities. The following salient points are just a few take aways from the manifesto:
- To make Enugu State one of the top three states in Nigeria in terms of GDP.
- To achieve a o% Rate in the poverty head count index by 2031. Ie population in abject poverty will be zero.
- To raise the GDP of the State from $4.4b to $30b by 2031
- To achieve peace and security through Community Policing and Youth Empowerment.
- To engender transparency and accountability through quarterly reporting and annual publication of Government accounts at all levels.
- To Make Enugu State the Food Basket of the nation and a hob for the export of cash crops through massive investment in agricultural technologies and specialized agro-allied industrial zones in the three senatorial zones.
- To raise Enugu State to a status of oil bearing and producing state within one year in office by prevailing on oil companies operating OPL 916, 914, 905 and 907 to do the needful.
- To establish Industrial Parks and Special Economic Zones focusing on key areas of comparative advantage within each zone.
Beyond these, his plans for Housing, Transportation, Education and Health are mind blowing. It’s not just that his plans are fantastic, they are measurable, achievable and have specific time lines. For instance he demonstrated his deep knowledge of the petroleum industry when he pointed to specific oil wells that will make Enugu State an oil producing State within one year and showed how it would be done.
His public accountability thrust is a master stroke for transparency and good governance. Not even in America do we have such institutionalized provision for public accountability. This idea could only come from someone who knows where the problem is and is determined to fix it.
Because his agenda is anchored on specific deliverables and definit time lines, it is easy to assess his performance periodically. This is something politicians would never want to do because it would amount to shooting oneself on the leg. But not Peter Mbah. His approach to security is plausible and all encompassing while his agricultural policy is novel and holds a lot of promises for economic revival. His confidence in this vision and approach to governance is beyond our erstwhile experience with an average Nigerian politician.
THE VERDICT
Permit me to quote from the scriptures again in Luke 21:29-30, “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see and know for yourself that Summer is now near”. From what we have seen him do and what we hear him say he will do, we now know for certain that the winter will soon be over and we herald the summer that will endure. In tandem with the mood of the nation and political realities of our time, it is no longer much about the party but more about the person vying for political office. So compared to other candidates vying for the office of the Governor, Peter Mbah is miles ahead of the rest. Similarly, compared to other Parties sponsoring candidates for the coming election, PDP is more on ground and has superior antecedents. It is therefore folly for anyone to contemplate leaving the palace of pleasure to dine in a cottage of crisis. Peter Mbah has sacrificed a lot of his yesterday to transform our today into becoming the tomorrow of our dreams. All are invited on board for this voyage of bliss and blossom. You only have yourself to blame if you miss this sure opportunity. Vote wisely and you will never regret you did.
