Gov Mbah Seeks Church Collaboration To End Osu Caste System

Gov Peter Mbah of Enugu State has sought the collaboration of the church and traditional rulers to end the obnoxious Osu Caste practices in some parts of the state.

Gov Mbah stated this when he presented a keynote speech at the Fourth Diocesan Synod of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu held at the Holy Ghost Cathedral, Enugu, on Monday. He thanked the Catholic Church for their support towards the success of his administration.

In his words, “We seek more collaboration because a productive economy requires ethical leaders and honest citizens whose values the church continually nurtures. Enugu has always been shaped by the church’s commitment to education, health, youth formation and moral guidance, and that partnership remains vital today.”

The governor used the platform to announce the upgrade of the state-owned State University of Medical and Applied Sciences (SUMAS) to a teaching hospital. It was gathered that the medical university, located at Igbo-Ano ,Udenu Local Government Area, was built by former Gov Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

According to Mbah, the development would enable medical students of the university to embark on their clinicals in the teaching hospital without having to go elsewhere for it. SUMAS had hitherto adopted Bishop Shanahan Hospital, Nsukka, a Catholic institution, as its teaching hospital.

Mbah, who spoke on “Promoting a Productive Economy in Enugu State”, said the state was now fertile for all-round development following the security measures adopted by his administration to ensure security of lives and property across the state. According to him, since his administration came on board, it tackled illegal sit-at-home order, deployed advanced surveillance technology through the Command and Control Centre, and reduced crimes by more than 80 percent.

He further disclosed that five local government areas in the state and 23 criminal camps were identified and security restored in those areas. The fight against insecurity, according to him, would be intensified and taken to the rural areas, adding that additional local government areas would be identified for deployment of advanced surveillance technology.

He also stated that his administration established 260 farm estates across all the 260 political wards to flush out criminals in the areas and boost agriculture. He said his administration had started partnering with neighbouring states to ensure joint security operations along borders.

In transportation, Mbah said his administration had constructed over 1,300 kilometres of roads, constructed five modern bus terminals, purchased 200 CNG buses with digital ticketing, and launched the Enugu Air Lines.

Governor Mbah added that the recent economic statistics already placed Enugu among Nigeria’s top-tier states, while the benefits of the reforms are visible across sectors. He announced the building of a new Enugu city, noting that “rebuilding Enugu into a modern, competitive, and crime-free state is anchored on security, productivity, transparency, good governance, and strong partnership with the Church”.

Dignitaries present at the Synod were the Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Abuja, His Eminence, John Cardinal Onaiyekan; the Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Owerri, Archbishop Anthony John Valentine Obinna; the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev Callistus Onaga; and the Auxiliary Bishop, Most Rev Ernest Obodo.