By Prof. Chiwuike Uba, PhD
What does development look like to an ordinary resident of Enugu State? It may be a road that cuts a journey in half, a school where a child receives a quality education, a hospital where treatment is affordable, or a business that can expand because the cost of doing business has fallen. These are the outcomes that give public projects their real meaning.
These efforts deserve recognition wherever the evidence supports it. Under Governor Peter Mbah, Enugu State has pursued an ambitious programme of infrastructure development, fiscal reform and public-sector transformation. The scale of these initiatives reflects a clear commitment to expanding the state’s economic capacity and improving public services. The next opportunity is to consolidate this progress by demonstrating how investments translate into measurable and lasting improvements in people’s lives.
*Building on Enugu’s Development Gains*
In September 2026, the Enugu State Government unveiled a compendium reporting more than 10,000 milestones, including over 1,521 kilometres of constructed or reconstructed roads, more than 7,000 classrooms and 260 Type-2 primary healthcare centres. The figures indicate the scale of the state’s development programme and represent significant reported outputs. A useful next step is to complement these milestones with publicly accessible information on project completion, quality, functionality and the benefits delivered to communities.
The administration has also pursued the New Enugu City, the Enugu International Conference Centre, transport infrastructure and the revitalisation of state assets. Such investments can improve connectivity, strengthen public services and make Enugu more attractive to investors. Roads can connect farmers to markets and reduce transport costs; modern schools can create better learning environments; functioning healthcare facilities can improve access to essential services.
Building on the publication of development milestones, a more detailed public project register could provide residents with information on project locations, contract sums, completion status, quality inspections and operational performance. This would complement the existing reporting effort by showing not only what has been delivered, but also how investments are functioning and benefiting communities.
*Revenue Growth and Fiscal Sustainability*
Enugu’s reported growth in internally generated revenue (IGR) is another important development. State government figures show IGR rising from ₦26.8 billion in 2022 to ₦37.4 billion in 2023, ₦180.5 billion in 2024 and approximately ₦406.77 billion in 2025. The administration has attributed the increase to revenue reforms, improved collection, reduced leakages and the recovery or optimisation of state assets.
This growth can create more room for infrastructure, education, healthcare and other public services. The composition of this increase also offers an opportunity to deepen fiscal analysis. The state’s published figures indicate that tax revenue accounted for ₦51.5 billion, or 12.6 per cent, of 2025 IGR, while non-tax revenue contributed ₦355.2 billion, or 87.4 per cent. Given the reported contribution of asset recovery, revitalisation and optimisation, a clearer breakdown of these receipts would help distinguish recurring revenue from one-off or time-bound proceeds and assess their contribution to medium-term fiscal sustainability.
How much of the increase represents recurring revenue, and how much comes from asset-related receipts or other sources that may not recur at the same level? What are the costs of collection, and how are the proceeds being deployed? Publishing these details, alongside inflation-adjusted revenue trends and information about services financed, would help establish the durability of the gains and support planning for recurrent commitments and maintenance.
The aim is not to diminish the reported achievement, but to ensure that today’s fiscal gains provide a dependable foundation for tomorrow’s services. A predictable and equitable revenue system, supported by transparent administration and public confidence, can strengthen the state’s capacity to sustain development.
*Education: From Infrastructure to Learning Outcomes*
The Smart Green Schools initiative reflects an ambition to provide modern learning environments and equip children with skills relevant to a changing world. If supported by good teaching and effective management, these investments can contribute to productivity, innovation and social mobility. But a school needs more than an impressive building. It requires qualified teachers, learning materials, functional equipment, reliable electricity, safe facilities and adequate maintenance.
A May 2026 investigation by TheCable reported construction-quality concerns and incomplete work at some Smart Green Schools, including instances of roof damage and water ingress. These reports provide a basis for school-specific technical assessments to establish the extent of any defects, identify outstanding works and ensure that verified issues are addressed promptly. Such a process would protect the value of the investment and reinforce confidence in the programme.
Budget execution is also important. Available figures indicate that education budget performance declined from 61.3 per cent in 2023 to 56.8 per cent in 2024 and 49.1 per cent in 2025. In 2025, against an approved education capital budget of approximately ₦282.98 billion, reported expenditure was about ₦129.48 billion, leaving approximately ₦153.5 billion unspent.
These figures provide an important basis for examining the relationship between budgetary commitments and implementation. Unspent allocations do not, by themselves, establish that projects were abandoned or that resources were wasted. Greater clarity on implementation constraints, procurement timelines, outstanding obligations and revised delivery schedules would help strengthen planning and support the timely completion of priority investments.
The government could publish each school’s completion and operational status, staffing, equipment and maintenance information. Independent technical certification would help ensure that defects are identified and corrected promptly. Literacy and numeracy assessments, alongside attendance, teacher deployment and pupil retention, would show whether facilities are improving educational performance. Existing public schools should remain part of the wider strategy, with resources directed to urgent needs across the system. The ambition should be a school system where modern facilities and effective teaching reinforce each other, giving every child a better chance to succeed.
*Healthcare: Access, Quality and Financial Protection*
The reported expansion of primary healthcare infrastructure offers an opportunity to improve access to essential services. Residents benefit most when facilities are operational, adequately staffed, supplied with medicines and connected to effective referral systems. A public assessment of functionality, staffing, equipment, patient utilisation and medicine availability would help direct resources effectively.
Healthcare budget execution is relevant to this task. Available figures show that the final health budget increased from ₦11.44 billion in 2023 to ₦56.47 billion in 2025. However, implementation declined from 80.6 per cent in 2023 to 66.7 per cent in 2024 and 30.7 per cent in 2025. Capital budget implementation was reported at 4.1 per cent in 2023, 25.6 per cent in 2024 and 10.7 per cent in 2025. Reported capital expenditure figures suggest that more than ₦39 billion of the approved health capital allocation was not spent during 2025.
These figures point to an opportunity to strengthen implementation so that budgetary commitments translate more consistently into functional facilities, equipment, medicines and better patient care. Explaining the reasons for low capital execution and publishing credible implementation schedules would help residents track progress.
Health insurance is equally important. Even where a facility exists, treatment may remain inaccessible if households cannot afford it. In May 2026, the Enugu State Agency for Universal Health Coverage announced that its active beneficiary roll had surpassed 500,000 residents, an important reported milestone. Earlier estimates, including the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s 2024 report and a 2025 peer-reviewed study, provide additional context but are not directly comparable with this administrative figure because of differences in timing, coverage definitions and methodology.
An updated, independently verifiable assessment would help establish the current level of effective coverage. Publishing the number of unique active beneficiaries, the population denominator, renewal rates, claims settlement and service utilisation would help demonstrate not only the reach of the scheme, but also the extent to which it reduces out-of-pocket expenditure and improves access to care.
Simpler registration and targeted outreach to low-income households, informal-sector workers and rural communities could expand access. Accredited facilities must also have the staff, medicines and equipment needed to provide the care insured residents are entitled to receive. The goal is not simply to register more people, but to make quality healthcare accessible and affordable when families need it.
*Infrastructure, Urban Development and Affordable Housing*
Roads and urban development can generate benefits beyond construction. Better roads can reduce journey times and vehicle costs while improving access to markets, schools and hospitals. Enugu could measure selected projects’ effects on transport fares, travel times, freight costs, market access and road safety to identify successful investments and guide future priorities.
The long-term value of the New Enugu City and other urban initiatives will depend on reliable utilities, transport links, sound land-use planning, environmental safeguards and productive economic activity. An important opportunity is to ensure that the New Enugu City develops as an inclusive urban centre, with housing options suited to different income groups. In addition to investment-oriented developments, provision for affordable and low-cost housing would help extend the benefits of urban growth to low- and middle-income households, young professionals and other residents seeking decent, accessible homes.
Beyond new urban developments, Enugu needs to expand housing supply through multiple housing estates in appropriate locations, supported by infrastructure, private-sector participation and accessible mortgage financing. Expanding the supply of homes within the reach of different income groups could help ease housing pressures and improve access to decent accommodation across the state.
Affordable housing should be treated as part of the state’s economic and social infrastructure. It can support workforce mobility, household stability and access to employment. Urban development should respond not only to investor demand but also to the needs of workers, young families and residents whose livelihoods depend on Enugu’s growth.
The state could prioritise road connections to markets, farms, schools, healthcare facilities and underserved communities. Construction quality, drainage, safety and maintenance should be considered from the outset. Publishing implementation schedules and evidence of private investment would help demonstrate progress. The broader opportunity is to connect physical development with lower business costs, better access, affordable homes and more opportunities to earn a living.
*Inclusive Growth and Household Welfare*
Residents experience development through living standards: good schools, accessible healthcare, reliable transport, productive employment and opportunities to improve their families’ circumstances. Infrastructure can support these outcomes, but evidence is needed to establish how widely benefits are shared.
A current socioeconomic baseline would strengthen the assessment of how the state’s development programme is affecting poverty, employment, real household income and access to essential services. The National Bureau of Statistics’ 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index provides useful historical context, but it predates the Mbah administration and cannot establish current poverty levels or attribute subsequent changes to particular policies. Comparable follow-up data would help identify progress, remaining needs and areas where public investment could have the greatest impact.
The state could link public investment more deliberately to local enterprise development. Vocational training aligned with employer demand, transparent local procurement, support for small businesses and improved market access can help turn infrastructure spending into sustained employment. Tracking jobs that continue beyond construction, businesses supported and opportunities reaching rural communities would help identify which interventions generate the greatest returns. Development should be both productive and inclusive, reflected in livelihoods as well as physical transformation.
*Accountability for Results and Lasting Value*
Transparency and accountability can strengthen the delivery and long-term value of public investment. Three practical measures would make an immediate contribution.
First, Enugu State could establish a publicly accessible project register, updated quarterly, showing the location, contract sum, contractor, completion status and operational condition of major projects. This would build on the publication of development milestones by enabling residents to track implementation and assess progress.
Second, quarterly budget execution reports could link approved allocations and actual expenditure to physical progress and completed outputs. Significant delays or implementation gaps should be explained, with corrective actions, responsible agencies and revised completion timelines clearly identified.
Third, independent technical inspections of major infrastructure projects and periodic assessments of public service performance would help verify results and identify areas for improvement. Monitoring should extend beyond completed buildings and expenditure to outcomes such as school functionality and learning, healthcare access and service quality, effective health insurance coverage, and the sustainability of revenue growth. Findings should inform management decisions, while verified defects and outstanding actions should be tracked to resolution.
Accountability need not be adversarial. A practical system of public reporting, independent verification and follow-up would provide a stronger basis for recognising achievements, addressing implementation challenges and maintaining public confidence. By institutionalising these measures, Enugu State could demonstrate more clearly how its development investments translate into lasting benefits for its people.
*Consolidating Progress for Lasting Prosperity*
Enugu has an opportunity to consolidate its development progress by strengthening implementation, learning from experience and ensuring that future priorities remain responsive to citizens’ needs. The current infrastructure and reform programme provides a foundation on which to build. The next stage is to demonstrate how these investments translate into more effective public services, stronger economic opportunities and improved living standards across the state.
Ultimately, the most compelling evidence of development is not the number of projects announced or the size of a revenue figure. It is the road that saves a trader money, the school that helps a child learn, the insurance scheme that enables a family to obtain treatment, the home a working household can afford, and the business that grows because the environment has become more productive.
Enugu has a foundation on which to build. The next task is to consolidate the gains, strengthen the evidence and ensure that public investment delivers lasting prosperity for its people.