Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah
Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, on Wednesday renewed his pledge to position Enugu as the nation’s unrivalled hub for skills, innovation, and human development.
Speaking at the opening of the 2025 Agbaja Education Summit, hosted by the Agbaja Leaders of Thought (ALT) at the Amadeo Event Centre, Mbah said the state was intentionally building a future anchored on knowledge-driven growth and modern education.
ALT is a sociocultural body of professionals from Udi and Ezeagu Local Government Areas, committed to advancing development across Agbaja land.
Mbah, who underscored the fast-shifting global economy, said Enugu must equip its young people with the tools to compete and excel. He pointed to the ongoing construction of 260 Smart Schools—each fitted with digital classrooms, robotics and science laboratories, and interactive learning facilities—as part of the state’s sweeping education reforms.
He also highlighted the redesigned curriculum that now gives priority to coding, robotics, critical thinking and problem-solving, along with emerging skill-acceleration centres aimed at preparing the next generation for future industries.
“Our vision is simple but ambitious: to make Enugu State the skills capital of Nigeria,” the governor declared. “Agbaja land, with its historic footprint in scholarship and enterprise, has a strategic role in this transformation.”
Mbah added that the summit offered a crucial platform to assess Agbaja’s economic potentials, explore industrial opportunities, strengthen communal unity, and raise a generation ready to lead.
Former Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime, in his remarks, said the gathering struck at the heart of what had always defined the Agbaja people.
“The pursuit of Education and Empowerment actually underlines and enunciates the driving philosophy and innate attributes of the Agbaja people,” Chime said. “It is actually, in our DNA, to create, produce, reform and advance society. The transformational contributions of Agbaja-born leaders remind us that today’s realities demand renewed investment in education and skills development across Agbaja land.”
Summit planning committee chairman, Prof. Chike Anibeze, reflected on the journey of the initiative, noting that the gathering once again rekindled the spirit of unity and shared identity among the people.
He recalled that when the maiden summit was conceived in 2022 under the leadership of Prof. Chinedu Nebo, it was driven by “a deep desire to reconnect a people whose unity appeared to have been weakened by modern boundaries.”
“That maiden Summit was a turning point,” he said. “Beyond the colourful displays of the Economic and Investment Forum and the unforgettable Cultural Carnival, it gifted us something far more important: a renewed sense of purpose and the spirit of collective endeavour.”
The event climaxed with the presentation of awards to distinguished sons, daughters, and friends of Agbaja.
