Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, says his administration will continue to prioritise the welfare and education of children in the state, as it remains the only way to guarantee a prosperous and decent future for the state.
Mbah has also reiterated his administration’s zero tolerance for all forms of child abuse, including child marriage, sexual abuse and exploitation, child labour, child trafficking, among others.
He spoke when he received the Enugu State Children’s Parliament, led by the Honourable Speaker, Miss Chimamanda Amobi, at the Government House on Tuesday.
Mbah, who has consecutively invested over 30 per cent of the state’s 2024, 2025 and 2026 budgets in education, said that a society that fails to invest in the quality education and welfare of its children had already compromised its future.
“You represent the hopes, the dreams and the future of Enugu State. Your coming here today reminds us why we must continue to work tirelessly to build an Enugu State where every child can learn, grow and succeed.
“Our tagline is Tomorrow is Here, and that our tomorrow is largely you. You are the tomorrow we talk about. You are the tomorrow we see, and we can touch you. Yes, you are at the heart of our government.
Everything that we do, including our projects, is all centered around you because you are the real investment. You are the real future we can build.
“In Enugu, you would see that we are largely focused on the future, and the future is all about our children — how we care for them and how we prepare them to take care of us tomorrow,” he said.
Mbah said that although the gains of his administration’s huge investments in education, especially the construction of 260 Smart Green Schools, would be fully felt years after he must have left office, he was more interested in preparing Enugu children for the emerging global economy than any applause.
“Free quality education is the right of our children; we are not doing you any favour. And we have not only provided nine years of free education as provided by UNESCO, we are providing 12 years of free education in Enugu State. And it is absolutely free — from school uniforms to writing materials and one square meal daily.
“The Smart Green Schools are a platform where we can get our children to express the best version of who they are and to express and optimally use the gift that God has given each of them,” the governor stated.
He said that besides equipping the children with skills for the evolving 21st century, like robotics, artificial intelligence, mechatronics, virtual reality, augmented reality, ICT hubs, e-libraries, among others, such that would enable them to stand up to their peers in any part of the world, the Smart Green Schools initiative was designed to take care of their health and growth.
He said that because of the presence of a clinic in each school, the child’s health and immunisation status is profiled by a nurse during admission at age three, ensuring that any missed vaccinations are regularised.
“To make sure no child suffers from malnutrition, there will be one nutritious meal each day at every Smart Green School,” he stated.
He, however, enjoined Enugu children to imbibe and uphold the values of fairness, honesty, fear of God and humility for which Enugu people are known.
Mbah warned that anyone who subjects any child to any form of abuse in Enugu State would have his government to contend with.
“We have zero tolerance for child abuse in any form. Just the other day, we stopped a wedding of an underage girl, and we will prosecute the parents. It is totally unacceptable,” he emphasised.
Earlier, the Speaker, Miss Amobi, who called a passionate call for more investments in children’s welfare and education by all levels of government in Nigeria, commended Governor Mbah for putting Enugu children at the heart of his government.
“I want to appreciate the child-friendly governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, on behalf of Enugu children, for his numerous achievements in child health and development in Enugu State.
“We commend him for the establishment of Smart Schools for experiential learning, stronger educational policy, establishment of a Disability Commission, free daily school meals and the training of auxiliary social workers for child protection in Enugu State. We are indeed grateful,” she concluded.
The children were also accompanied by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih; the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Nkechinyere Ewoh; and the Communications Officer (Advocacy and Partnerships), UNICEF Nigeria, Dr. Ijeoma Onuoha-Ogwe.
