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…Says Tax net expanded without tax rate increment

…Extends wage award payments

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…Says state to generate, distribute electricity by 2026 

…Pledges to holistic state development

Chetanne Chinelo & Chinelo Anekwe, Enugu

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Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has reiterated his resolve to run a transparent, accountable and accessible government as the epicenter of his administration.

The Southeast Peoples Democratic Party leader who restated his administration’s determination to make the state a preferred destination for living, tourism and investment made these known during the Town Hall meeting organised by the state government with the theme:  “Issues of Governance: The Journey So Far”, over the weekend, at the Banquet Hall, Old Government Lodge, Enugu. 

Mbah disclosed that contrary to speculations, his administration had not increased the tax rate. According to him, the government only expanded the tax net to capture businesses that had not been paying taxes over the years. 

On the welfare of workers in the state, Mbah who began the payment of the wage award of between N10,000 and N25,000 to state workers last December to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal, assured that “Until new minimum wage is concluded, we will continue to pay wage award”.

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On the newly signed Enugu Electricity Law, Mbah said his administration was desirous of tackling epileptic power supply in the state by generating and distributing its own electricity, putting a timeline of 2026.

Noting that the current power challenge in the state was adversely affecting businesses and the state’s economy,  he added that plans were underway to put up the State Electricity Regulatory Commission as part of measures to actualise the goal.

“Electricity is a major infrastructural requirement for industrial development. We are going to set up Enugu State Electricity Regulatory Commission as we tackle all legal and regulatory issues in actualising the objective.

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“Working with the private sector, we shall generate and distribute electricity in Enugu by the end of 2026. We will build new transmission lines and handle distribution of power.

“People can come here to buy and distribute power. Our desire is to ensure we have steady power supply to businesses and households in Enugu.

“There shall be no monopoly as people will be allowed to buy and sell electricity.”

On Education, Gov. Mbah said all the Smart Schools which are under construction in the 260 political wards in the state will be fully operational by September 2025.

Explaining how the school will operate, he noted that pupils of the school will be covered by a compulsory 12 year free education and that the school will be equipped with digital gadgets such as Tablets for notebooks, computers and smart boards to replace the conventional classroom boards. 

“Our children will now be using tablets to study and teachers will use smart boards to teach while the student would learn about artificial intelligence, robotics and others that will make them technologically inclined”.

According to Mbah, teachers in the smart school will be trained in a centre for experiential learning and innovation on Information Communication System, Mechatronics and Augmented Virtual Reality.

On water supply in the state, the Governor stressed that his administration had declared a state of emergency on water by upgrading the daily production from 40 million litres to 120 million litres, even as reticulation to homes and neighborhoods were ongoing.

He strongly warned tanker drivers to desist from sabotaging government efforts on the water project, vowing that anyone caught will be made to face the full wrath of the law. 

He also revealed that anybody who builds on or those that had built on water ways would be made to pay rather than demolish their houses.

On health, Mbah explained that his administration had commenced building of 260 Type II Health Centres across the wards, disclosing that 30 of such projects had already been awarded while 100 would soon be awarded.

Adding that high maternal mortality rate in the state, according to available data, was unacceptable, he said the health centres would help to reduce it, with the intentional increase in the number of nurses admitted into state-owned institutions.

Ending, the governor also pledged his commitment to the holistic development of the state, while being guided by the Citizens’ Charter he entered into with the people.

Pacesetter reports that different groups and stakeholders were in attendance at the Town Hall meeting. 

Representatives of the Civil Society Organisations, women, students, youth, business owners, traders, transport unions, People Living with Disabilities, Professional Associations, traditional rulers, the media, among others, were present.