There is no politician in the South East today whose combination of subtlety, smartness, grace, and deception interests me like Peter Mba. Far from my disagreement with his governance style, I cannot but admire him for his wit, intelligence, strategy, and political sophistry. He is like the Greek goddess Medusa, the beautiful mythological figure turned monster whose gaze turns people to stone—exuding a combination of power, fear, beauty, strategy, and sophisticated subtlety.
Mba came in as governor with flamboyant grace, promising to situate Enugu as the corporate and innovative capital of Nigeria. Far from this, what we have witnessed is a cosmetic version of that manifesto. Enugu may have received a world-class conference center, but under Mba’s watch it is gradually slipping into the poverty capital of the South East.
Mba’s political manifestos were filled with legacy projects that sound like something out of another world. Let us begin with Enugu Air, the airline that Peter Mba claimed is owned by the state and financed by taxpayers’ money. Till date, key documents, financial arrangements, procurement terms, and operational details remain shrouded in secrecy. This is a project that is supposed to belong to the people of Enugu.
The billion-naira Smart School project, right from inception, sounded like a movie from Disneyland. The acclaimed revolutionary initiative, touted to transform education in Enugu, is unfolding as nothing but a shadow of itself. It has been riddled with controversy, allegations of corruption, and substandard delivery from its inception.
From the public dispute between the Enugu State Government and Sujimoto Construction to complaints from communities about poor-quality structures, it is evident that the project has failed the test of proper implementation. What appeared as paradise on paper became chaos in execution. Even now, there are strong indications that the project has not lived up to its intended legacy. Perhaps time will vindicate or condemn it.
The mega bus station displaced thousands of businesses, yet its implementation has been riddled with delays, slow completion, weak system delivery, and opacity in funding. For the benefit of doubt, the project has not succeeded in transforming transportation in Enugu urban.
Mba promised to provide water to Enugu in 180 days, but the project, which has gulped millions of dollars, has witnessed slow delivery. Sometime ago, Enugu youths were awash on social media with campaigns about the project, which was also clouded by lack of transparency, until his in-law, Williams Uchemba, intervened with his Nollywood influence to calm the anger of frustrated youths.
Enugu State’s internally generated revenue has reportedly jumped over 100 percent in 2025, rising from about ₦180.5 billion in 2024 to approximately ₦406.7 billion in 2025. Despite this, and with yearly FAAC allocations of about ₦150–₦200 billion, the people deserve more than being burdened by cut-throat and excruciating taxation.
While acknowledging projects such as the rehabilitation of GTC Enugu, the reconstruction of the Presidential Hotel, and the ongoing large-capacity hospital, I hope that Mba invests more in the lives of ordinary people in Enugu. Development is not measured by white-elephant projects alone; it is measured by lifting people out of poverty and deprivation.
Enugu holds large deposits of coal in Udi, Awhum, Awgu, Oji River, and Inyi. I understand that the government has closed about 40 illegal mining sites and is now conducting geospatial mapping and mineral surveys to determine the quantity. Rumors suggest that sites such as Inyi are being mined, with tons of coal reportedly carted away daily.
I recall driving behind such trucks last year during my Christmas break home. Coal can be used to generate electricity and light up Enugu; I hope this remains part of the government’s future agenda.
The most troubling thing about Enugu is that Mba has turned it into a political dummy. I would rather call him a “political Medusa”—anything he touches becomes subservient to his will. In a couple of years, the once calm, gentle, soft-spoken corporate lawyer has pocketed Enugu in his spotless suit, while his benign smile and humble gestures conceal a calculative, vindictive, cold, and exploitative politician who has relentlessly taxed the poor, bought and silenced opposition, maneuvered stakeholder control over Enugu politics, and convinced religious leaders into posturing him as the chosen one.
With pace and wit, it is difficult to distinguish between Mba the man, the myth, and the masses. On social media, he is the man—the corporate genius who has transformed Enugu State into a “Silicon Valley”. For others, this claim is a myth that contrasts with the reality of his governance, which appears elite-focused and indifferent to the poor. For the poor masses sweating from his excessive taxation, he is a modern Judas Iscariot whose tax policies are so excruciating that they strike terror in every heart.
As elections approach next year, Enugu must ask itself a question: when will the people choose their own governor—one who listens to their hearts, feels their cries, and recognizes their tears? Will Enugu experience governance like Abia, or remain under a corporate-suited myth—a man who only satisfies his own thirst and that of a small political elite, while the masses become instruments of taxation and exploitation?
Augustine Ikenna Anwuchie is a Catholic missionary priest based in Niger Republic
