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2023 GOVERNORSHIP AND
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[OPINION] 2023: The Calculus of Dr. Peter Mbah’s disruptive innovation and the imperative of accelerating economic growth in a changing and challenging time
H.E Barr. Peter Mbah
Opinion

[OPINION] 2023: The Calculus of Dr. Peter Mbah’s disruptive innovation and the imperative of accelerating economic growth in a changing and challenging time

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By Christian Enebe

 

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Dr. Peter Mbah, the Enugu State PDP Governorship Candidate for the 2023 general election, is without an iota of doubt a visionary, keen on revolutionizing the state.

His ideas, which are considered novel and unprecedented, have been hailed as both ingenious and ambitious. The ideas which are condensed into a phenomenal and historic manifesto, have not only raised the hope for realizing the new Enugu that he has envisioned but have also triggered a consciousness of creative thoughts likely to lead to the birth of more ideas in the future that will complement the culture of innovation as a basis to grow the economy and drive development, which he is bringing on board.

Going by his manifesto, his primary goal is to deliver quality, people – focused governance by making Enugu State the preferred destination for investment, business, tourism and living. His key objectives are to make Enugu State one of the top three states in Nigeria in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which he plans to move from $4.4B to $30B and achieve a zero percent poverty headcount index in 4 to 8 years when elected the Governor of Enugu State.

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Dr. Mbah believes in innovation and sees it as a critical tool for change. This explains why innovation is the major thrust of his well thought – out blueprint. His disruptive innovation, which appears to be the central idea of his transformative agenda and the fulcrum around which others revolve, has been described by analysts as a masterstroke. According to Dr. Mbah, disruptive innovation is an aggressive approach which can enable one do things in a completely different way as to alter the status quo. He maintains that innovation has the tendency to alter approaches, processes and systems with possibilities of prompting modified and accelerated outcomes.

Dr. Mbah believes that innovation can serve as a launch pad that can lift off a business and set it in motion for a quantum leap. He also believes that innovation can trigger an exponential growth by altering established conventions and age-long traditions that tend to keep a business or organization going round a circle. He credits his outstanding success in the private sector to the quatum leap his signature investment, Pinnacle Oil and Gas Ltd. experienced as a result of applying disruptive innovation.

He was quoted as saying: “Pinnacle commenced operations in 2008 and we started off in a one-bedroom studio apartment somewhere on Ahmed Onibudo Street in Victoria Island, Lagos. I started it off with about two other guys – one was my secretary and the other was my dispatch man.”

This was clearly a humble beginning. From his success story, it is clear that Mbah knew that he didn’t have a chance in the highly competitive oil and gas business except he interferes with the system and disrupts the statusquo using technology and innovation. That was where his disruptive innovation began. He stated, ”we were in a space that companies had already taken their positions and had captured their various sizes. So, we knew that growing incrementally was not the option. We knew we needed to come up with a disruptive idea that would help us displace some of the dominant players and take that dominant position that we had envisioned.” Apparently, Mbah’s driving force was to meet up with the speed of the industry leaders at the time and he found the leverage he needed in innovation.

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Today, available indices indicate that Pinnacle Oil and Gas Ltd. is a success story. As a matter of fact, the company is believed to occupy a leadership position in the petroleum downstream sector based on volume and market share where it is commanding 23 per cent of the market (share) as against 5 percent controlled by its closest competitor. This open – secret of the company’s success story is attributable to disruptive innovation.

It is generally agreeable that without innovation, we would all be stuck in the same place or spot. Hence, William Brody, a Scientist, posed a question. He asked: What is the calculus of innovation? According to him, “the calculus of innovation is really quite simple: Knowledge drives innovation, innovation drives productivity, productivity drives economic growth.“ Correspondingly, innovation is also described as a powerful way of securing competitive advantage and a more secure way to defending strategic position and success.

Dr. Peter Mbah’s disruptive innovation has proven to be an effective business and wealth creation model. The model which was launched towards securing an improved business outcome in his private business, is currently being adapted to accelerate economic growth in Enugu state.

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I subscribe to the view that innovations are oftentimes inspired through internal desires to succeed financially. There cannot be a better time to deploy innovation than the changing and challenging times that we find ourselves. We are at a time when governments at all levels are at a dilemma arising from the damaging impact of COVID -19, the negative effect of Russia/Ukraine war and other globalized and localized challenges which have led to unstable and fluctuating oil prices, high energy cost, instability of exchange rates, high cost of borrowing, rising inflation, high and rising cost of living, poor living conditions of citizens, high and rising unemployment, salaries being either owed or not paid as and when due etc.

These concerns leave our world both at the global and local levels without an option than to discover and engage competent leaders with powerful ideas that can defy the present day hostile circumstances and chart a course of progress for the struggling world. There is increasing need for government at all levels to be innovative enough to disrupt the status quo and set progress in motion in order to salvage our world and halt further slipping to a bottomless economic chasm. This should guide the thoughts of today’s voters and influencers who should act wisely and timely to help in salvaging the challenged world. Innovators like Dr. Peter Mbah should be given a chance to inspire a new order and chart the course to the Enugu of our dreams.

As a matter of fact, those who will take over leadership at this time, must be seen to be not only qualified but competent and savvy in dealing with matters of economy. They must be people who have the brain power to salvage the situation. Peter Mbah’s disruptive innovation comes handy at this time to help in accelerating the economic dynamics of the state. There is no gainsaying the fact that Enugu state needs his wealth of knowledge to build on the gains of the past, create and manage wealth, maximize the economic potentials of the state and turn things around in a manner that will launch the state to the top as one of the first three states in the country. This is not only desirable but attainable.

Recently, President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned Pinnacle Oil and Gas Limited’s offshore subsea petroleum products terminal at the Lekky Free Trade Zone, Lagos which represents specifically the essence and practicability of Dr. Peter Mbah’s disruptive innovation mantra which has been widely acknowledged and commended.

The journey of Pinnacle Oil and Gas Limited to the zenith of Nigeria’s downstream petroleum subsector aptly fits into Steven Jeffes view that: “Innovation is the unrelenting drive to break the status quo and develop anew where few have dared to go.“

Dr. Peter Mbah’s innovative power and ingenuity can be traced not just to a natural endowment, intellectual prowess and creative ability that are obviously inherent in him but essentially to his training which by all measurements is qualitative with a significant bias on innovation. His brilliant training, further accentuated by a rich entrepreneurial experience, has fully prepared and equiped him to incubate ideas and drive an innovation – based growth.

In addition to holding a Bachelor of Law Degree from the University of East London, he holds a Master of Law (LLM) Degree in Maritime and Commercial law, a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and also a Graduate Diploma in Strategy and Innovation which he acquired from the Oxford University, United Kingdom. He also participated in a number of executive certificate programmes, notably in Harvard Business School and Stanford University in the USA.

More so, he acquired sufficient digital competences needed by a present day leader. As a result, he demonstrates adequate knowledge and confidence in the critical use of information and communication technology which is a major tool in comprehending and applying digital technology. The understanding of high level computer knowledge is without doubt a sinequanon for appreciating and applying digital technology and innovations in necessary contexts.

Apparently, his wealth of digital competences is the reason he discusses state of the arts and complex technologies with ease. He has shown demonstrable ability to access and utilize digital media and ICT. It takes such level of development to understand and critically evaluate different aspects of complex subjects, strategies and contents that are ICT based or those that are of influenced contexts.

Suffice it to say that the man, Dr. Peter Mbah, is an embodiment of ideas. He has both the competence and character to provide the needed leadership. He has been described as a pundit who through rare sagacity, has launched himself into the Nigerian political space and as one who has endeared himself to the people of his state with his powerful ideas and style of politics which is totally devoid of bickering and rancour. Hence, his emergence as the PDP Governorship Candidate for the 2023 general election and front-runner candidate for the number one job in the state, has resonated with the people of the state and warmly welcomed by all.

Peaceful by nature, tactful in style, Dr. Peter Mbah, is the man of the moment. All eyes are on this maestro who is expected to build on the legacies of peace and progress of Governor Ugwuanyi’s administration to enact a revolutionary change in the socio-economic cum political dynamics of Enugu State.

He has proven to be a skilled and experienced business and political leader who is out to make a mark and not just a regular politician seeking relevance or a position for survival. He is recognized as one with extraordinary wisdom and knack for great works. His accomplishments are numerous, impressive, and exceeds what could be associated to a fluke or an ordinary man trying his luck or struggling to survive. He is driven purely by a passion to make impact and rewrite history.

Owing to his great wisdom, his wealth of knowledge and appeal to people, he ends up holding his audience spellbound whenever he is speaking. Everyone listening to him comes to that point where he wonders what manner of man he is. It beats everyone’s imagination how intelligently he responds to every question posed, how he addresses knotty issues and proffers solutions that are both appropriate and generally acceptable.

Those who do not know him are wondering who he is and what to expect from him but those who know him are eagerly looking forward to a replication of the turn-around he made at Pinnacle Oil in Enugu state when he takes over and pilots the affairs as Governor of the state.

In the opinion of Vanessa Obioha of Thisdaylive, “Mbah’s story is an affirmation that no matter one’s existential realities or limitations, one can accelerate to stardom and have a handshake with the sky.” This is a view that derives from the trajectory of Mbah’s life and his rise from a humble beginning to becoming not just a key player but essentially, one of the most dominant players in the oil industry in Nigeria within 50 years of age. As a direct consequence of his rare achievements, NewsWatch magazine in a special publication of July 3, 2006, described Mbah as “a man ahead of his time.”

The times we are demands leaders with Peter Mbah’s experiential knowledge and competence to take over the management of our resources and provide leadership that will impact positively on the society. In his own words, “the demands of our time require a good head; someone whose experience in both public and private life, as well as whose commitment to the general good, cannot be questioned.”

Barr. Peter Mbah doubtless inspires hope. This is a man that has demonstrated extraordinary competence not only in managing resources but in creating wealth. He is doubtless the right candidate with the capacity to change things for the better and move Enugu State yet to greater heights. The future we desire is wrapped up in his timely candidacy. We must not miss this opportunity.

According to the sage, Chinua Achebe, “you cannot plant greatness as you plant yams or maize. Who ever planted an Iroko tree – the greatest in the forest? You may collect all the Iroko seeds in the world, open the soil and put them there. it will be in vain. The great tree chooses where to grow and we find it there…so it is with greatness in men.” Barr. Peter Mbah is God’s gift to Ndi Enugu with proven capacity for extraordinary achievements. He is an outstanding man; greatness personified. Besides, he is a man cut out for the unusual, one who is prepared to run the race of life with determination and vigour. Taking Enugu State to an enviable level is the heartbeat of this great man with whom God has blessed the state.

In his remarkable manifesto, he stated: “my life experiences are the wings that propel me to serve Ndi Enugu, my people, so that together, we may create wealth and prosperity for all.”


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