The Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has described the governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, as a rare gift to the nation, saying Enugu is the luckiest state to have him.
Musawa, who was on a one-day visit to the state at the weekend, during which she toured the International Conference Centre, Enugu Digital Museum, and equally lit up the Christmas Village, a state-private sector initiative at the Naira Triangle, and the Unity Park, commended Mbah’s development strides and innovation in the past 18 months, expressing the Ministry’s continued support and partnership to further develop the arts, culture, tourism, and creative potentials of the state and initiatives of the governor.
“I can tell you unequivocally that Enugu is one of the luckiest states in Nigeria and I don’t say this lightly. You have been governor for a year and a bit now, but you have completely distinguished yourself.
“In every single corner of Nigeria, people have heard about the governor of Enugu State. What you have done with the smart schools, the innovation here will be remembered in the trajectory of Nigeria, when the history of Nigeria is written. It is something that is really good. You have charted a path for other governors to follow,” she said.
Speaking to newsmen after her tour and the official lighting up of some recreational facilities, the Minister also said, “I am very honoured to light the Christmas Village and Unity Park. I feel like a daughter of the soil who has come home. I look forward to coming back in the new year to see how my Ministry can collaborate and partner with the tourism, culture and creative industry to see what we can do to open up the potential and work with the governor to really bring value to the people of Enugu State.
“Again, I just want to say this, I think Enugu is a very blessed state. I think with a governor like Peter Mbah that has proved and distinguished himself as a visionary and innovative leader, given that what he has done in one and a bit year has been absolutely exemplary, if Enugu has a governor like this for four to eight years, only God knows the height you would be able to go to as a people, she concluded.
In his remark, Governor Mbah thanked the Federal Government for all the cooperation received so far, reiterating his stand that Nigeria’s economy is best grown from the states, not the centre, with each federating unit harnessing its potential.
“For us in Enugu State, we are committed to harnessing the full potential of the tourism and creative industry. And as you know, we have a history of that already. This used to be the home of Nollywood.
“Enugu has played the role of several administrative headquarters. We have the rolling hills, waterfalls, caves, and numerous other tourist sites. At those waterfalls and caves, we want to create a new kind of experience for tourism.
“We have an ambitious plan in the tourism space. Our plan is to see how we can attract a minimum of 3 million visitors into Enugu for tourism every year.
“We are also essentially building structures that will inspire and incentivise tourism. What we are doing at the International Conference Centre where we are additionally and speedily building a five-star hotel, the idea is to make Enugu State the conference capital of Africa and then to see how we can attract all the tourism activities to our state,” he stated.
The governor also unveiled his administration’s plan to build a world-class theme park at Milliken Hill, with the hope to have it recognised as a heritage site.
Meanwhile, blessing the Christmas Village at the Naira Triangle, the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev. Calistus Onaga, commended Mbah’s innovations and development efforts and prayed for the continued progress of the state.
