I fell at home in Enugu, President Bola Ahmed declared at the weekend.
Speaking during his one-day visit to Enugu State on Saturday, the President said: “It is a great turn-up for me to be in Enugu. It is a joy and I feel relaxed and at home with you.
‘’It is a homecoming for me. This is a serious demonstration of what we can do together and what we can build together.
“No one of us has control of the mother tongue. God created us, and you can find yourself in Enugu, Onitsha, or Lagos.
‘’We are all members of one huge family called Nigeria, but we live in different rooms in the same house. We must build this house to satisfy our immediate and future needs.”
The President called for a united front by all Nigerians across political, ethnic, and religious divides to build a Nigeria that meets not only the dreams of the present generation, but that of the future.
Tinubu commended Governor Mbah for his exceptional initiatives in building the future of Enugu State today, saying his successes in governance called for more private-sector chieftains to join politics to inject their experience into the public sector.
He praised Mbah’s effort at building massive security infrastructure to boost investment and socio-economic development.
The President said: “When we have committed leaders like Mbah taking Enugu on the path of 21st century development, to greater heights, building our tomorrow today.
‘’I cannot forget the sight of those small children that I just met in a green 21st-century school.
“We are commissioning the investment in security that will bring about rapid development. I could see the vehicles and gadgets with 21st-century technology. Yes, you are indeed planning for today, tomorrow, and the future of Enugu.
“You are a good leader and you are my friend. We can go places together, in harmony, building Nigeria, building the future.
“It is audacious to have this hall filled with technology and be ready for use to promote investment. One thing we all know, you are a private sector person, and we must encourage more private sector players to come into politics.
“I usually say that investors are very cowardly, they run away from trouble. And when you assure security and development and give value for their money, they will be your friends.”
Mbah said his administration’s massive investments in security, education, and infrastructure, among others, were tied to the vision of exponential economic growth and to position the state as the premier destination for investment, business, tourism, and living.
“Our goals include growing Enugu State from the $4.4bn economy that it was on my accession to office, to a $30bn economy in the next four to eight years. It also includes the ambition to make Enugu State one of Nigeria’s top three states in GDP terms.
“But we recognise that few things stifle dreams such as we have, and drain the life out of a city like untamed criminality – or any hint of it.
“That understanding is evident in the substantial investments we have made in strengthening security in Enugu State.
“The framework of our security system was designed to nip crime in the bud and react swiftly when there is any breach of security.
“However, a sense of security is not simply instilled through the physical presence of arms-bearing personnel. It is rather reinforced by a system that helps guarantee a sense of security even when the threat of crime is remote.
“This is what our AI-enhanced security initiative, which has led to round-the-clock surveillance of our streets and neighborhoods across the entire state, is helping us to achieve.
“This statewide CCTV network is operated via this Command-and-Control Centre commissioned today,” he explained.
Other projects inaugurated by the President include 30 completed and equipped Enugu Smart Green Schools out of 260 under construction across the 260 wards in the state, a multi-auditorium, and multi-functional Enugu International Conference Centre, and 90 urban roads in Enugu City.
