Dr. Peter Mhab Reaffirms Commitment to Education, Security, Economic Growth and a Better Future for Enugu Residents.
Enugu Media Village (EMV), the Most Updated Online News Platform — October 6, 2026
Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, has urged Nigerians to embrace courage, optimism, thanksgiving, honesty and hard work as the country marks its 66th Independence anniversary.
Mbah made the call at a thanksgiving Mass held at the Enugu Government House Chapel to commemorate Nigeria’s Independence Day, where he acknowledged the challenges confronting the nation while urging citizens not to lose sight of the possibilities ahead.
The Governor noted that nation-building was not always accompanied by fanfare, stressing that some of the most important contributions to Nigeria’s progress were taking place quietly in classrooms, hospitals, farms, construction sites, factories, businesses, laboratories and security formations.
According to him, Nigeria’s journey should be approached with realism about its challenges but also with confidence in its capacity to overcome them.
“A nation is not measured only by the problems it faces, but also by the courage with which it confronts them.”
Mbah said Nigerians should approach the country’s 66th year neither with blind optimism nor despair, but with “faith, courage, honesty and work.”
He also acknowledged the economic challenges facing citizens, while noting that reforms introduced by the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu were creating opportunities and conditions for states prepared to take advantage of them.
Enugu’s Development Story
The Governor used the occasion to highlight what he described as a changing narrative in Enugu State, pointing to developments across education, healthcare, roads, aviation, agriculture, manufacturing and tourism.
He said the state was moving from a narrative centred on decline and lost opportunities to one of renewal and development.
“Today, a different story is being written. A renaissance is taking place – across our schools and hospitals, our roads and even in the skies, in once moribund factories, our agricultural communities, and our tourism space.”
Mbah said the experience of Enugu demonstrates what can become possible when citizens refuse to surrender to the limitations of the past.
He thanked residents for their support and reaffirmed that his administration would remain focused on its development agenda.
The Governor specifically pledged continued attention to the welfare and security of residents, investment in education and strengthening of the state economy, while stressing that development should ultimately translate into improved quality of life for citizens.
“We will continue to build a state in which our children do not have to leave home to find a future,” he said.
Bishop Onaga Commends Security Progress
In his homily, the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev. Callistus Onaga, acknowledged Nigeria’s continuing challenges but urged citizens to recognise the reasons for thanksgiving.
The Bishop commended the Enugu State Government over improvements in security, recalling the severe security challenges experienced in the state in previous years.
He, however, stressed that more work remained to be done and urged leaders to use public authority as an opportunity to serve the people, particularly the vulnerable.
Bishop Onaga further called for a stronger moral foundation for national development, saying Nigeria’s progress should be anchored on justice, truth and service, alongside material and economic advancement.
The Independence Day thanksgiving Mass was attended by heads of other arms of government, senior government officials and other leaders.
As Nigeria enters another year of independence, the message from Enugu centres on resilience, responsible citizenship, good governance and sustained investment in the people as essential elements of national and state development.
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