By Nnamani Arinze Darlington
In 1900, the Southern Nigeria Protectorate was established by the British colonial administration. The discovery of coal by the colonists in Enugu in 1909 led to the creation of a settlement known as the Coal Camp. Enugu took its name from the nearby hilltop village of Enugu Ngwo, where coal was first found. The city of Port Harcourt, located 243 kilometres south of Enugu,
was created in 1912 for the purpose of shipping this coal abroad.
Employable opportunities from coal mining activities in Enugu attracted people from every corner of the region; creating the core of the first urban settlement of what is today known as Enugu. Enugu developed as one of the few cities in West Africa created entirely by European contact. By 1958 Enugu had over 8,000 coal miners. Enugu became a major coal mining area and the only significant one in West Africa. The Eastern Line railway connecting Enugu with Port Harcourt was completed in 1915 in order to export the coal through its seaport.
In 1929, Enugu became the administrative capital of the entire Southern Provinces, apart from Lagos, and in 1939 the administrative capital of the newly created Eastern Region, making it a home for all Igbos, and the capital of Alaigbo.
On the 27th of June, 2023 Mbah had the pleasure of receiving the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Richard Montgomery. Mbah discussed with the High Commissioner mutually beneficial partnership between Enugu State and United Kingdom..
Mbah seized the moment to emphasize the need for technical assistance and support, and also called for the restoration of the UK visa facilitation centre in Enugu State, to boost trade, business, and other relationships between the UK and our dear state.
The United Kingdom has finally graciously obliged Mbah’s request to open a visa application centre in one of the Southeastern states in Nigeria, Enugu. The center is expected to serve the people in the state, the Southeast region and Nigeria at large.
The opening of the visa application centre in Enugu has continued to show the excellence in the leadership of Gov. Mbah’s administration because, over the years, business moguls and other entrepreneurs who are interested in expanding their business base in the global space find it difficult to go to either Abuja or Lagos, spending almost two weeks out of the state in search of UK visa with huge expenses on hospitality and logistics.
The introduction of the UK visa center in Enugu will also improve the tourism industry in Enugu because individuals from other Southeastern states now have the opportunity to apply for their UK visas in Enugu with less cost and a more ambient and safe environment.
Nigeria is a fascinating country with amazing cities. Most of these cities are known across the country for their economic attractions, scenery, natural resources, and cultural heritage. It is certain that soon Enugu will compete in the comity of states, the likes of Abuja and Lagos.
The visa centre, just like Mbah’s partnership with FG on the completion of the Enugu International Airport and cargo terminal, and the building of a seaport at Uzo-Uwani, are part of the Governor’s plans to boost the ease of doing business in the state to its highest potential, in his words, “to de-risk” any challenge in doing business in the state.
The UK visa centre in Enugu is just the beginning of this; other countries will follow this step soon, and establish visa centres in the Capital of the Eastern Region. Enugu is serene, welcoming, and has a high number of vibrant youths, it has always been one of the best states for business. Now that Governor Mbah is intentional and committed to putting in place business catalytic infrastructures for businesses to thrive in the state, achieving the $30bn GDP is not farfetched.
The fact that the private sector, not the public sector, drives the economy of any prosperous state is a hard fact that Governor Mbah thoroughly understands, and has made the heartbeat of his administration, which is why healthy and effective public-private sector partnerships interest him the most.
Mbah’s dynamic transformational leadership style is bringing out the potential of the state by making the state break out from her economic cocoon which is a big indicator and a catalyst for Mbah’s exponential growth projection to boost Enugu’s economy sevenfold from $4.4billion to $30billion in the next 4 to 8 years.
….Nnamani Arinze Darlington is a political analyst and a social commentator
