DAILY PARAGRAPH: By Zoba De Great

  

"Peter has governed Enugu very well.

He is the best Governor we've ever had.

In 3 years, he has achieved more than his predecessors."

These are the things that his strong supporters are saying.

Other moderate supporters are saying something different.

They are saying that the taxes are harsh and the demolitions are painful.

But at least he is working.

At least he is doing something unlike the person who was there before.

These are the views and opinions of Governor Mbah's strong supporters and mild supporters.

But the question is,

How true are these opinions?

To answer these questions, you must do a little before and after comparison.

We need to know;

What was the situation of things in Enugu

Before Peter Mbah came in 2023

And

After his 3 years in office.

Let's start with Education because Gov. Mbah is very big on Education.

He allocated over 32% of the yearly budget to Education.

Specifically:

₦134.6 Billion in 2024,

₦320.06 Billion in 2025,

And ₦521 Billion in 2026.

A total of ₦976.2 Billion (Almost 1 Trillion) has been budgeted for Education.

ESUT, IMT, ESCET, SUMAS, Iwollo Poly and others,

have they experienced significant upgrades in 3 years?

The answer is no.

ESUT is still what it is, same with IMT and ESCET.

They are all in the same conditions that Ugwuanyi left them in 2023.

The only thing that was significantly upgraded was the school fees.

Nothing else.

What about secondary schools?

The only upgraded secondary school is Government Technical College (GTC), Enugu.

It was upgraded and the school fees increased by over 500%.

In fact, it stopped being the school for the middle class.

To put it in the right perspective;

In 2023, Enugu ranked 9th in SSCE across the country.

In 2025, after Peter Mbah's Disruptive Innovation and allocation of nearly 1 Trillion Naira into Education, Enugu ranked 18th nationwide.

In NECO, Enugu couldn't make it to the top 10 as well in 2025.

The Smart Schools that were supposed to resume on the 22nd of September, 2025 are still uncompleted in May, 2026.

The completed ones are collapsing and the rest are under EFCC investigation because SUJIMOTO allegedly absconded with the funds.

Most parents who love the lives and future of their children have sent them to private schools because Government primary and secondary schools in Enugu are currently in a state of confusion.

I don't know if this is the darkest hour before the dawn or not.

But certainly, statistics, facts on the ground and all possible projections indicate that Enugu's Public Education system is definitely under its darkest hour.

This is after 3 years of Governor Mbah's Disruptive Innovation and allocation of nearly 1 Trillion Naira to the Public Education system in Enugu.

The private and missionary schools are flourishing though.

As the children of all the 26 House of Assembly members and 20 commissioners are all in private or missionary schools because they love their children and can't leave them under Mbah's care.

This is Enugu's Public Education System under Peter Mbah.

It wasn't wonderful under Ugwuanyi but it was functioning.

Under Mbah, it is in a state of total confusion.

Is this the proverbial DARKEST HOUR BEFORE THE DAWN for Enugu's Public Education System?

Or is it the DARKEST HOUR with no Dawn in sight?

We don't know yet.

What we do know for sure, is that as of 11th May, 2026, Enugu's Public Education System is far worse than what it was on 29th May, 2023.

MASSIVE 1 TRILLION BUDGET 

Minimal impact.

MAXIMUM CONFUSION 

That defines Enugu's Public Education System under Peter Mbah.

Tomorrow, we will look at another sector.

Stay with me.

Zoba De Great Writes from FCT.