Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has initiated discussions concerning the possible release of Nnamdi Kanu, the self-proclaimed leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). He has requested President Bola Tinubu to give careful consideration to extending a hand of fellowship to the people of the South-East region. After a private meeting with the President, Governor Mbah informed State House correspondents that they discussed various matters, including the favorable court rulings in Kanu’s prosecution and the potential release of the secessionist agitator. Governor Mbah believes that Kanu’s release would contribute to the ongoing national healing process initiated by the President, and he expressed optimism that the President would view the request favorably.
Additionally, Governor Mbah highlighted his appeal for the assistance of the Federal Government in harnessing the abundant mineral resources in Enugu State for the benefit of the local population. Governor Mbah emphasized the potential for productive transformation through a partnership between the state government and the federal authorities, aiming to maximize the value and utilization of these dominant assets.
“A lot of people do not know but we have huge mineral resources in a new group. And these resources are sitting under our ground not being productive. So, we believe with the partnership we’re trying to basically build with the Federal Government, we’re able to transform these assets into productive assets.
“Of course, you know that the growth level we have proposed is one that is going to be driven by private sector and private sector want the ease of doing business and one of the core indicators of the ease of doing business is security and infrastructure.
“So, we also had that conversation with Mr. President. We have made a very strong announcement. We’ve banned sit-at-home on Mondays in Enugu. And obviously, what that means is that we will, of course, need to, you know, heighten our security, tackle the challenges that would flow from that, and, you know, essentially that’s what I have come to do.
We also of course, talked about the release of Nnamdi Kanu. You know, that the South East has made a collective demand to have Nnamdi Kanu released. And we basically identified with that and request Mr. President, who in his inaugural address promised the people that he’s going to engender national healing and he’s going to serve with compassion.
“We’ve basically informed him that this would serve as a pointer to his administration’s extension of hands of fellowship.”
