Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, has commended President Bola Tinubu for his decisive actions on fuel subsidy removal and the unification of currency exchange rates, describing them as bold steps that have boosted state finances and enabled greater development.
Speaking on Thursday at the inauguration of a CNG bus terminal in Enugu, Mbah said the reforms had freed up funds for critical projects that would have been impossible under the old system.
“Those projects would not have been possible but for some of the bold initiatives and tough decisions that His Execellency President Bola Tinubu took.
You just mentioned one — the removal of fuel subsidies — but also the removal of the arbitrage in the exchange rate, bringing the exchange rate together because we all knew the flaws in that system,” he said.
The governor noted that before these reforms, states struggled to pay salaries from their monthly allocations, leaving little or nothing for capital projects.
“We were hardly able to pay salaries, and except there was a windfall, you couldn’t contribute to capital projects. But today, that is not the case. We are not just talking about paying salaries; we are executing humongous projects thanks to these bold initiatives and tough decisions taken by the President Tinubu,”he said.
Highlighting some of Enugu’s ongoing projects, Mbah said the state was building 7,000 new classrooms, each equipped with world-class digital tools.
“We are doing 60 classrooms every week. Each smart green school features all 21st-century skills — robotics centres, artificial intelligence centres, CGI studios, and virtual and augmented reality facilities,” he said.
He also thanked the president for concessioning the Akanu Ibiam International Airport and pledged Enugu’s support for the success of the Tinubu administration.
Earlier, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who was in the state to inaugurate federal projects, praised Mbah for aligning with the President’s vision of delivering renewed hope to Nigerians.
Idris described Enugu as a key state in the South-East and Nigeria, noting that Tinubu’s reforms in the past two years were already yielding results.
“The removal of fuel subsidy was a bold decision that has freed up resources for impactful governance. It is not just the governor of Enugu State that is working — President Bola Tinubu is also joining hands to work for the benefit of your people,” Idris said.
The minister noted that his visit to Enugu was his first official trip to the South-East and expressed hope that such engagements would be frequent.
“This is the message of President Bola Tinubu — that prosperity and the one trillion-dollar economy he promised are already in sight. The beginning was challenging, but we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Nigeria is turning the corner, and we thank you, Your Excellency, for joining hands with the president to move Nigeria in the same direction.”
In a subtle political pitch, Idris added:“I will not sit down without telling you, Your Excellency, that we are still waiting,” hinting at an invitation for the governor to join the All Progressives Congress.
