ENUGU DEEPENS INDUSTRIALIZATION: Mbah Unveils Multi-billion Naira Pharmaceutical Firm
*At Town Hall Meeting, Gov Backs Tinubu On No Return To Fuel Subsidy
By Sylvia Kodilichukwu, Enugu
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has commissioned Anchorage Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, a multi-billion naira pharmaceutical company in Trans-Ekulu, Enugu.
The coming on stream of the company is expected to boost local drug manufacturing, create jobs and strengthen healthcare delivery in the country.
This was even as Chairman of the company’s Board of Directors, Rear Admiral Allison Madueke (rtd), commended Mbah for creating an investment-friendly environment in the state, describing Anchorage as a legacy project conceived to generate employment, develop local talent and contribute to economic development.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony on Thursday, Mbah said the facility represented more than a pharmaceutical business, describing it as an investment in public health, economic growth and the future of young people in the state.
The governor congratulated the company’s founder, board and management, noting that establishing a manufacturing enterprise required substantial commitment and confidence in the state’s economic prospects.
He said the facility would provide employment opportunities, offer internship placements and facilitate skills transfer, while supporting healthcare delivery across Enugu State.
Mbah disclosed that the government would explore commercial partnerships with the company to supply medicines to its Central Medical Stores and primary healthcare (PHC) facilities.
The governor further noted that the state was building 260 Type-2 PHCs, adding that the facilities would require reliable supplies of essential medicines to function effectively.
“We are interested in made-in-Enugu, and that’s what you’re doing here,” he said, reaffirming the administration’s commitment to partnering with private enterprises beyond providing an enabling environment.
Mbah added that private capital remained central to the state’s economic growth strategy, emphasising the need to retain skilled young people by creating opportunities for them to build their careers in Enugu.
Earlier, Madueke said Anchorage was the practical expression of his longstanding conviction that private enterprise could create jobs, broaden economic opportunities and improve prosperity.
The former Chief of Naval Staff as well as ex-military governor of old Anambra and Imo States said the company would prioritise product quality, patient safety, regulatory compliance and sound corporate governance, while acknowledging the role of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in safeguarding public health.
Madueke expressed confidence that Anchorage would contribute to the development of Enugu State, the South-East and Nigeria, and thanked Mbah for commissioning the facility and building a resilient business-friendly infrastructure.
In his closing remarks, the Managing Director of the company, Engr. Chima Madueke, said the company was founded on quality and wellness, encapsulated in its slogan ‘Anchored in Quality, Committed to Wellness’.
According to him, the company had obtained the necessary approvals and clearances from NAFDAC and the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), reaffirming its commitment to quality assurance.
He added that Anchorage would help tackle fake and substandard medicines in Nigeria, adding that it was open to direct supplies to hospitals, healthcare institutions and pharmacies.
The commissioning underscores the growing role of private-sector investment in the Mbah administration’s drive to expand Enugu’s economic base, with the governor assuring investors of continued government support to improve the business environment and enhance returns on investment.
At Town Hall Meeting, Gov Backs Tinubu On No Return To Fuel Subsidy
Meanwhile, Mbah has doubled down on his support for the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, saying it was undebatable and inconceivable for anyone to imagine a return to the old order.
Mbah spoke at the ‘Meet the Candidates’ town hall meeting organised by Afia TV in Enugu on Wednesday, where he also said that his administration had delivered good governance to the people of the state across all sectors.
He described it as a pathetic misconception of the country’s situation and the direction it was headed, for anyone to talk about the reintroduction of fuel subsidy.
“If you reintroduce fuel subsidy today, we will lose 10 times whatever we are currently trying to gain in terms of the removal of subsidy. The poverty rate that you are going to experience will be very high because the Naira would be automatically devalued.
“We cannot go back to subsidy. And I do not think it is in the interest of the country for us to even debate that.
“Again, we should not even debate it because we do not want to send a signal to prospective investors that we are contemplating it. That would take us back. It is going to create panic in the system. It is going to get investors to pull back.
“Those that are coming in today to invest in that sector will become jittery. So, it is not even a subject to debate. It is something that we have moved on from, and we should be thinking about how to ensure that the natural benefits cascade to the households, create jobs and generate wealth for our people,” he emphasized.
The governor said the nation should focus on how to further encourage private capital to flow, noting the growth the country had experienced in the stock exchange space.
He added that Tinubu’s policies had stabilised the macro indicators, thus encouraging foreign direct investment.
“You can see quite a lot of funds coming into our country, not just portfolio investments, but also direct investments. It is also going to strengthen because the macro indicators are right,” he stated.
Mbah maintained that whereas fuel subsidy removal enables the government to target the less privileged, fuel subsidy as earlier practised benefited the rich more.
“By the way, I do not think the subsidy we practised before the President removed it was even the right one for the country because even the people we were looking at benefiting from it, were only insignificantly benefiting from it. It was largely beneficial to our wealthy folks.
“But now, you can almost notice that the government is doing that in targeting the poor, using proceeds from subsidy removal. The government is aggressive on cash transfers. There is also the programme where the government is targeting 1,000 persons per ward across the entire country to be able to provide seed capital for them to become productive,” he added.
On his stewardship so far, Mbah said his administration had kept faith with the people of Enugu State, delivering good governance across all sectors in line with his campaign manifesto.
He said the people of the state only needed to imagine where the state was before his inauguration as governor and where it is currently headed.
“Let us imagine the Enugu we knew four years ago. Let us just imagine an Enugu without Hotel Presidential. Let us imagine an Enugu without the International Conference Centre. Let us imagine an Enugu without Enugu Air. Let us imagine Enugu without the transport terminals, the 268 Smart Green Schools, 260 Type 2 Primary Healthcare Centres.
“You do not want them to imagine an Enugu without the International Hospital. You do not want them to imagine an Enugu without the CNG buses, the Nigergas. I think the list is endless.
“But I even think that we can stretch that imagination further because the work ahead will be more profound. Just imagine an Enugu where our children are receiving education that prepares them for the world because they have been imbued with evolving 21st-century skills. Imagine again an Enugu where you do not have any part of the city with an unpaved road.
“Also, imagine an Enugu in four years’ time that generates 660 megawatts of electricity; where we are able to provide 24-hour power supply; where you cannot come into your house and have the light off; and where people can run their businesses for a whole week without worrying about the cost of diesel. Just imagine an Enugu where you generate electricity and the people of Enugu are buying that at N120 because they own the coal that feeds the power plant.
“Imagine an Enugu where you now have to ride, not just on our CNG buses, but you have the monorail that can take you from point A to point B. Imagine an Enugu where you can fly from here to the United Kingdom, to the United States and other parts of the world,” he charged the electorate.
Mbah urged the people to keep faith with the journey of greatness, growth and development, defending the gains of his first term and guaranteeing the promises of his second term by working for his re-election.
“If these imaginations capture our fancy, then we have a duty to fight for it. We do have a duty to continue to make sure that the bar does not come down and that the standard we have set in Enugu is sustained,” he concluded.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Gov. Mbah (2nd right), Admiral Madueke (rtd) (left, front row) and others being briefed by an official of the firm.
