Tag: Mbah

Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, has said that Africa’s economic renaissance lies in extensive trade, not charity.

Mbah said Africa had all that it takes to build its own table, rather than wait to be invited to the table.

He urged the continent on full exploitation of the power of intra-Africa trade and opportunities inherent in the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA.

He spoke yesterday while delivering the closing remarks of the session, “The Africa Opportunity: Regional Collaboration and Trade Facilitation,” at the 2025 Commonwealth Enterprises and Investment Summit in London.

At the session, which focused on how Africa could leverage the potential in its 1.3 billion population to boost trade and investment, the governor noted that such integration and trade facilitation had never been more compelling than now in the face of harsh global and existential headwinds facing the continent.

Read Also: Mbah lauds DSS for arresting five high-profile kidnap suspects in Enugu 

“Such large population, plus Africa’s combined GDP of $3.4 trillion and the fact that the continent has 65 per cent of the world’s uncultivated arable land means Africa should actually be building the table – and not waiting to be invited to the table.

“But one of the challenges lies in translating Africa’s remarkable potential into real economic development that benefits the continent’s people. One of the solutions lies in fully exploiting the power of trade, particularly intra-Africa trade. It would seem this was what AfCFTA came to fill.

“The World Bank estimates that AfCFTA could lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty, raise incomes for 68 million people, and boost Africa’s income by $450 billion by 2035. That is about 10 years from now,” he said.

He regretted that most of the objectives, including removal of tariffs and non-tariff barriers, for which AfCFTA was established, were yet to be actualised, wondering how Africa’s $40bn annual spending on food imports could be rationalised.

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Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has applauded the Department of State Services (DSS) for its successful operation that led to the arrest of five high-profile kidnappers hiding in forests across the state.

Acting on credible intelligence, DSS operatives tracked the suspects to their hideouts in two separate locations in Enugu State on Wednesday. 

The arrested individuals are believed to be part of a notorious gang terrorizing Udi Local Government Area and other parts of the state.

The kidnappers reportedly confessed to collecting huge ransom payments from their victims’ families. 

Three other key members of a different kidnapping syndicate were also apprehended on Friday in the state capital.

Security forces recovered large sums of money, suspected ransom proceeds, along with lethal weapons and other dangerous items from their hideouts.

Governor Mbah, after being briefed on the details of the operation, commended the DSS for its covert efforts. 

He also acknowledged the collaborative security strategy involving the military, police, and Enugu State Forest Guards, assuring residents that intensified operations would continue to track down fleeing gang members and dismantle their camps in the forests. 

Enugu Governor Peter Mbah has signed into law the bill to create a one-stop shop for tax collection and administration in Enugu State, thereby ending multiple taxation.

The new law, which is entitled, the Enugu State Internal Revenue Service (Establishment and Consolidation of Revenue Administration) Law, 2025, the also makes the revenue collection agency autonomous and free of bureaucratic encumbrances.

Speaking at the short bill signing ceremony at Government House, Enugu, on Tuesday, Mbah described the law as a milestone in his administration’s quest enable the Ease of Doing business and make the state the premier destination for investment.

“I recall several times that I have engaged the business community, the organised private sector, and the market women. They have always complained about multiple taxation. People coming from everywhere with different types of government receipts to ask them to pay tax. That will end from today.

Read Also: Mbah woos multinationals

“With the signing of this bill into law, we now have one revenue collection point, whether for the market women, the organised private sector, and the different agencies of government. You would have one clear point where to pay your tax and you will be issued with the appropriate receipt of payment. That means you no longer have any other person coming for the collection of tax.

“It is very important because one of the core indicators of the Ease of Doing Business is to make sure that you have the ease of payment of your taxes and you do not have multiple channels where you are being dragged to pay taxes.”

According to the Governor, the new law would effectively consolidate the revenues of the state and local governments, with each tier of government getting what is due to it at the end of the day such as is obtainable in land charges and Value Added Tax, VAT.

“The idea is that you have one point of collection, but the split is also done to the different tiers of government that this revenue is essentially due to.

“It is also important that we make this point very clear that this idea of the State Internal Revenue Service collecting on behalf of the other tiers of government is nothing new. As some of you already know, the Land Use Charge is paid to the local government, but collected by the state. 

“So, what we are doing now is essentially consolidate all the other revenue types to ensure that there is one point of collection. So, this is a major milestone and it would also help us have a full line of sight to all the revenues we have in the state,” he stated.

He further explained that the Enugu State Inland Revenue Service would henceforth become autonomous.

“The Enugu State Inland Revenue Service is now able to act as an autonomous institution of the state government. It also means that they can now set targets and try to meet those targets the same way you run a business. It means that they now have the powers to hire and fire their employees. So, we are increasingly making the Revenue Service a professional body,” he added.

Mbah took the opportunity to explain that contrary to some misinformation, the massive rise in the state’s IGR was inspired by widening the tax net, plugging revenue leakages, and deployment of technology, rather than increasing tax rate.

“Let me be clear, we have not increased any tax in Enugu State. What we have essentially done and which is impacting our revenue growth is expansion of the tax net. We have also made sure that monies that were collected in cash before now are now adequately captured and paid into the state coffers,” Mbah said.

He commended the Enugu State House of Assembly for their support every step of the way, noting with gratitude the expeditiousness with which they treat executive bills.

Earlier in his remark, the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Uchenna Ugwu, described the bill as a turning point in revenue collection in the state.

“One, it is going to improve the Ease of Doing Business. It is also going to improve the IGR of the state and also block all the loopholes in revenue collection and administration. It is a very good gift to the people of Enugu State,” he said.

Enugu Governor Peter Mbah has granted various forms of prerogative of mercy to eight inmates of Correctional Centres in the State on parole.

A statement by the Governor’s media aide, Mr. Uche Anichukwu, on New Year’s Day 2025, said the decision was communicated to the Comptroller, Nigerian Correctional Service, Enugu State Command, Mr. Nichlas Obiako, in a letter dated 31st December, 2024 by the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Barr. Victor Udeh.

“His Excellency, the Governor of Enugu State in the exercise of his power (Prerogative of Mercy) under Section 212 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and in consultation with the Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy, Enugu State, has granted various forms of Prerogative of Mercy as presented below to the following convicts (of State offences) in the Correctional Centres in Enugu State,” the letter reads in part.

Read Also: FG commences implementation of 2024 withholding tax reforms

A breakdown of the reprieves shows that while Governor Mbah approved the release, subject to a one-year parole, of eight inmates who have spent substantial parts of their jail terms for various offences, one offender was granted pardon subject also to a one-year parole, having spent part of his five-year jail term for contempt of court and equally purged himself of the contempt.

The decision was also subject to reports of proven reform in character, ability to reintegrate with the society having possessed or learnt some productive skills, and following recommendation by the Correctional Services and the Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, and whose membership comprises representatives of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Carmelite Prisoners Interest Organisation (CAPIO), and the Catholic Institute for Development, Justice and Peace (CIDJAP), among other reputable justice sector institutions.

• Capital expenditure to gulp 86%

Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah has proposed a N971b budget estimates for the House of Assembly’s consideration.

Presenting the estimates entitled: “Budget of Exponential Growth and Inclusive Prosperity” at the floor of the House yesterday, Mbah said the proposed estimates comprised N837.9b Capital Expenditure, representing 86 per cent of the budget estimates, and a Recurrent Expenditure component of N133.1b, representing per cent of the budget.

This topples the record-holding 2024 budget of N521.5b, consisting of N414.3b Capital Expenditure, representing 79 per cent of the total budget and N107.2b Recurrent Expenditure, representing about 21 per cent.

However, like the 2024 budget, the 2025 budget proposal emphasises huge investment in education as well as basic but critical infrastructure and amenities like roads and bridges, water supply, transport services, energy, modernisation and digitisation of public services and associated processes, with the Education sector getting a lion-share of N320.6b, representing over 33 per cent of the total budget for two consecutive years.

Mbah said that this was in line with his administration target of poverty eradication and an inclusive development model, which ensures that no one or segment of the society is left behind.

Read Also: Mbah hails ESUT’s speedy transformation into centre of excellence

The governor equally announced a growth in the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from N37.4b at the end of 2023 to N144.7b in September, representing a radical 286.2 per cent increase in line with the administration’s deliberate effort to wean the state off reliance on FAAC allocations.

Addressing the House, Mbah said: “In crafting this budget, we have sort to continue to lay the right foundation in Enugu to enhance the economy and attract even more private investment.

“In spite of the dreary economic environment across the country, for us here in Enugu, we have elected to remain bullish in our aspirations, and to double down on our commitment to elevate our state to top three status in terms of GDP nationally, and eradicate poverty from our midst.

“Indeed, we see this as a vindication of our previously espoused view that sustainable national growth can really only be driven from the sub-national units to the federal levels, and not the other way round as we have attempted to do to date.

“It is on account of this that we are proposing to the House of Assembly today, a budget with a total envelope of N971,084,000,000.00 as against the budget for 2024 fiscal year which totaled N521,561,386,000.00.

“This represents an 86.4 per cent increase from the 2024 revised budget.

“The budget is broken down as follows: N133,140,000,000.00 as Recurrent Expenditure and N837,944,000,000.00 as Capital Expenditure,” he said.

On sources of revenue, he said, “In the area of our revenues, we estimated that total Recurrent revenues during 2025 will amount to N692,179,000,000 as against the approved revised provision for 2024 of N383,789,000,000.00.

“The Recurrent revenues for 2025 are broken down as follows: opening balance – N32,000,000,000; Internally Generated Revenue, IGR – N509,947,000,000; statutory revenue – N48,749,000,000; exchange rate differential – N26,559,000,000; and Value Added Tax, VAT – N74,924,000,000.