UNICEF lauds Mbah’s investment in education, other sectors
UNICEF has lauded the Enugu State Governor, Mr Peter Mbah, for investing in the critical sectors of education, primary healthcare and infrastructure in the state.
The Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Enugu, Mrs Juliet Chiluwe, made the commendation at the signing of the Enugu Government Multiyear 2025/2027 Workplan, along with UNICEF, at the Government House, Enugu, on Wednesday.
Chiluwe said that Mbah’s sterling leadership quality and huge investment in all sectors were a turning point for the state.
She expressed delight over the governor’s sterling leadership and advocated for the welfare of children and women, adding that Mbah had tamed the tide in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).
“You are the pioneer of smart schools here. Enugu is one of the leading states in terms of the WASH masterplan implementation.
“Your investment in primary health, upgrading the primary healthcare system to Level 2 is something that is very highly commendable and also the smart schools, which show your commitment to the development of human indices in the state.
“I have been in Enugu for the last three years and I have seen commendable changes in terms of infrastructure, security and the welfare of women and children,” Chiluwe said.
According to her, the signing of the multiyear plan indicated UNICEF’s recommitment to collaborating with the State Government towards the realisation of the rights of children and women in the ongoing Country Programme of Cooperation.
She said that CPC commenced in 2023 and would come to an end in 2027.
The UNICEF boss, however, called for intensified efforts from all stakeholders, such as the local government authorities in ensuring that the state attained Open Defecation Free status, and the delivery of the social protection policy to eradicate poverty.
Responding, Mbah thanked UNICEF for the partnership and support to the people of the state, adding that the administration was strongly committed to addressing compelling social challenges as evidenced in the past two budget cycles.
He described UNICEF as a reliable development partner, saying that the government had continued to prioritise the social services sector, which was why it received the highest allocation in the budget.
“Education got 33 per cent and that has been consistent over the 2024 and 2025 budget cycles. The healthcare space is not left out of it.
“We also plan that this will continue for at least the next five years for things to be well rooted because we feel like we’re starting from ground zero, in terms of the baseline of infrastructure,” Mbah said.
He further said that many of the 260 Type-2 primary healthcare centres in each of the 260 electoral wards had been completed and equipped.
The governor said that the health centres were beyond mere buildings and included staffing, ancillary services and other cutting-edge medical facilities, in addition to 24/7 electricity.
He listed some of the challenges the administration faced at inception including a deficit in health personnel, adding that he immediately approved the recruitment of 2,500 health workers.
On the basic education system, Mbah said that the smart schools would take off by September, with over 300,000 school children benefitting from the healthcare facilities in each of the schools, plus a free daily balanced diet and healthy learning environment.
He said that the administration was determined to ensure that residents of the state lived a comfortable life through the ongoing first phase of the 7,500 mass housing scheme that would relocate those living in urban slums and put an end to open defecation.
NAN
