The Enugu State Government has pranked a media report claiming that the state was ranked 36th out of 36 states in Nigeria in a local level Ease of Doing Business survey conducted by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC). He said it was fake news. ).
This rebuttal was made on Wednesday by the Enugu State Ease of Doing Business Officer and Managing Director of the Enugu State Investment and Development Authority, Dr. Sam Ogbu Nwobodo.
Ogbu-Nwobodo, who is also a member of the PEBEC-NEC Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) Technical Working Group (TWG) representing the South-East region, said the first-ever regional baseline survey and ranking was released by PEBEC in 2021. I explained. The second edition was published on Monday, March 27, 2023, more than two months before Dr. Peter Mba was sworn in as governor on May 29, 2023, and the third edition was published in March 2025. I plan to
He, therefore, wondered how the people behind the fake report came up with Enugu State’s “Ease of Doing Business” ranking, calling it “from the pits of hell and a bunch of bitter losers.” ‘false report.’
The doctor took a further stab at the report, saying that only six indicators were measured in the local baseline survey, while the aggressive report mentioned 10 indicators, including economic and social indicators. He explained that these indicators were never part of the study.
“The Local Baseline Survey measures states’ performance against six indicators, rather than the 10 so-called “key economic and social indicators” mentioned in the report. The official indicator is infrastructure, which covers power, transport, logistics, telecommunications, internet and digital access. Security: Measures a secure and stable environment. Information transparency and accessibility. Regulatory environment measuring business registration, license renewal, contract enforcement, land and real estate acquisition, and taxation. Skills and labor, including specialized knowledge and talent. and economic opportunity,” he explained.
The Managing Director added that contrary to the report, Governor Mbaha’s administration has improved the ease of doing business in Enugu State, a fact variously confessed by local and foreign investors and diplomats. he said.
He said the investment worth N300 billion that Enugu State has attracted in the past three months is a testament to the rapidly growing confidence of investors in the state under Mr. Mbaha’s leadership.
“On taking office, Governor Mba announced that he will be implementing structured reforms to enable business environment reforms as the foundation of an ongoing economic recovery that aims to grow the state’s GDP from $4.4 billion to $30 billion in eight years. A systematic approach was adopted.
“This was demonstrated by Executive Order 003, which the Governor issued shortly after taking office on May 29, 2023. This order promotes transparency and efficiency in the delivery of government services and improves the economy through ease of investment. It was further expanded by Executive Order 005 on Promotion of Growth in Enugu State.
“As a result, the administration intentionally embarked on some of the most ground-breaking business-enabling reform initiatives ever witnessed in the state. These include security, infrastructure development, urban renewal, and e-government. , in the areas of economic diversification, industrialization, and even in the revitalization of some moribund state-owned enterprises and various other efforts to improve efficiency and transparency in government services. There is,” he said.
The government denounced opposition parties’ claims of excessive taxation in the state, explaining that it did not increase taxes but merely widened the tax net and checked tax evasion, and at the same time introduced electronic payments to prevent revenue leakage.
