Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, gave residents something to ponder about on Thursday, October 12, this year, when he flagged off the first phase of the construction and rehabilitation works of his administration.

This is not because they had waited for over four months for the Mbah administration to commence construction but because the governor had declared a time frame that appears unrealistic and doubtful for the realisation of the magnitude of the projects, especially with the resources at the disposal of the state.

In line with his campaign promise of a new and better Enugu State, Mbah had on that date, at three different locations, flagged off construction and rehabilitation works on 71 urban roads; new Enugu City and 40-kilometre Owo-Ubahu-Amankanu-Neke- Ikem dual carriageway, which he said would connect the state to the North Central.

He had told the residents that the 71 urban roads would be completed in December this year, while the 40-kilometre dualisation would be ready in 18 months. Similarly, the New Enugu City,  which would see his administration construct 97.12 kilometres of a brand new city, would start with the construction of 26 square kilometres (26km2) that would house three islands including Happy Island, Vitality Bay and Innovation Park in the First Phase that would come on stream in 24 months.

Since the projects were flagged off and their timelines given, many residents have expressed doubts about the state government’s commitment towards their realisation. Critics of the administration have accused the governor of playing politics with the quantum of projects he flagged off.

Many accused the governor of “hastily” announcing a timeline for the completion of projects, yet to begin, to assuage worries over his alleged delays in making bold imprints in the state since he took his oath office, stressing that the financial implications of the projects on the state were not disclosed.

These critics also see the flag off  as a means to shore up sympathy and support for the contentious N170 billion loan, which it got approval recently from the state House of Assembly. The flag off had been performed at the heat of the controversy over the N170 billion loan approval, a development that is seen as unhealthy for the state by many stakeholders.

Although the governor failed to name the urban roads that are part of the 71 roads expected to be delivered from now to December this year, sources at the state Ministry of Works insisted that the government was targeting about 150 kilometres of roads.

The government had earlier stated that it had identified some urban roads requiring immediate attention spanning through Achara Layout, Abakpa, Awkunanaw, New Layout, Transekulu, GRA and Iva Valley.

A  geotechnical engineer, Herbert Ikenna, however, told The Guardian that rehabilitation and construction of 71 urban roads was possible in about two months but doubted the integrity of such work.

He said: “As a soil expert, I know that before actual construction begins in any road project, there is need to do analysis and tests on the soil to ascertain detailed information about its properties.

“You need to know the type of soil, the density and strength of the soil, groundwater, slope stability and issues that have to do with behaviours to adapt to weather conditions and what have you. These things go through stages.

“When they are properly done, it helps any construction work to last. But embarking on road construction and not taking these into consideration may backfire. That is why you see our roads failing even when being constructed. So, I think that the two months time frame for the realisation of these 71 urban roads may not be feasible, unless these things had been done before now or the government is overlooking it.

“You also know that there are instances where before the actual construction begins, you will need to do the channeling, removal and relocation of blockages, the mappings and what have you, among others, to quicken the process.”

It would, however, seem that the state government had addressed these worries to arrive at the timeframe it set for itself as well as mobilise the needed resources.

For instance, the governor had explained that his government engaged the best firms in the construction industry to deliver the projects, adding that funds had been secured to fulfill its obligations to the contractors.

His words: “We are not surprised that we have doubters; we have naysayers; we have critics who wondered how we, with our paltry revenue, could be able to accomplish 10,000 kilometres of road over eight years. What it means is that we are committed to do over 1000 kilometres of roads every year. So, if you look at the grand total of the length of roads we have awarded in this first phase of construction, it is about 400 kilometres.

“So, we still have a long way to go. We have just done the first phase. Again, a lot of people even at this point will still be wondering where we are going to find the money. I recall that when we had our retreat, I mentioned to my team that between now and the next four years, our expectation is to spend about N3.3 trillion and I am sure everyone was shocked. Where are you going to find this N3.3 trillion to spend? That is because our focus is on the Federation |Account. So, it is impossible because what is available for us to spend from the Federation Account on KEPEX is about N200 billion within the same period. So, that is less than 10 per cent of our projected spending in the next  four years.

“But also recall that we are going to disrupt the status-quo; and that we are going to deploy disruptive innovation and creative alternative financing models. People must have read recently in the news, when it was reported that Enugu State is taking a loan of N170 billion. But what they fail to understand is that N170 billion is a drop in the ocean based on what we plan to spend. And the truth is that if they are actually imagining that this  is going to constitute a clog in our cash flow, then they are making a huge mistake. What they fail to understand is our capacity to create alternative financing models. And because some of these models are proprietary, we don’t have to disclose them. But the truth is that we will generate funds to be able to execute these projects.

“It is because the financial institutions believe in our models, in our business plans or the information memorandum that we submitted to them. It is because they believe in it. That’s why they are all queuing, waiting to give us whatever funds we want because they are confident that we are going to pay back without any worries.

“We talked about mobilising domestic revenue and we are already doing that. And we are doing that very well based on what we have been able to do in the last office that we took. We have been able to grow our internal revenue to over 200 per cent. Our target is to move that to over 500 per cent before November. We also committed to making sure we block all leakages and all the loopholes we have in our revenue so that we will be able to mobilise these funds for the benefit of Ndi Enugu. This is exactly what we are doing. So, again, this flag off  is symbolic because there is a connection in everything that we are doing here today.

“Beyond this corridor, we are opening up seamlessly our connection to the North Central. If you talk about the New City, which is going to open seamlessly the connection to other South-South and other south-eastern states, everything is coming together and these plans are deliberate.

“Again, we want to make Enugu State the premier destination for investment. And we also recognise our potential in the agric sector, so we want to be able to scale up into an industrial level so that we are not only thinking about agriculture as food but also thinking about agriculture as export. That is what we are going to do. It is my hope that the contractors will adhere to the timeline we have agreed with them to execute these projects.

“We expect that the 40km road will be ready and functional in the next 18 months. We are not going to fail them on our own part in terms of our obligation. We have taken our time to select the best in the construction space to carry out this work. So, we have no doubt that they would live up to that responsibility; we look up to that. I do not  need to ask for the cooperation of the communities because this is what they had all looked forward to.”

Speaking with The Guardian, a community leader, Emeka Nnam, stated that he did not have any doubt about the capability of the governor to deliver the projects at the stipulated time frame, stressing: “I say this because of what he has done with potable water, which he said will be made available in the state in 180 days.
“He made that promise before becoming governor, he has not shifted from it and today we are beginning to witness water running from pipes in various places. I think he has sat down with his team to plan and they know it’s possible. So, there is nothing to fear.”

A stakeholder from Ogui Nike, Chief Gregory Nnamani,  had during the symbolic flag off at the Premier Layout stated that what the governor required was support to execute the projects as planned, explaining that, “no administration in the state since 1999 had launched this magnitude of projects under two years.”

He stated that the New Enugu City would “give Enugu State a new identity when realised.”

Nnamani added: “ What we know as Enugu has not expanded the way it should because of the political will to do so by those who governed in the past. Pushing Mbah’s idea through will certainly change a lot of things for Enugu State in terms of investment, revenue and job creation.”

For now, every eye is on Mbah to deliver the 71 urban roads as promised and continue to enjoy the confidence of the people.