Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has appointed Nollywood actresses Nnenna Rachael Okonkwo and Eucharia Anunobi as Enugu aides, Prof Chidiebere Onyia, Secretary to the Enugu State Government, said in a public notice issued on Monday, 21 September 2026.
Newsonspot gathered that the governor approved 101 aides in three groups: seven Special Advisers, six Senior Special Assistants and 88 Special Assistants.
Nnenna Rachael Okonkwo, known on screen as Nkoli Nwa Nsukka and often styled Rachel Okonkwo, was named Senior Special Assistant on Film and Creative Industry Development.
Her new position placed her at the intersection of entertainment and public policy, with a focus on growing the film and creative sector in the state. Rachael Okonkwo joined five other Senior Special Assistants in Governor Mbah’s administration, including Barr. Okey Ude on Inter-Party and Mobilisation, Hon. Chinedu Chukwunwike on Party Monitoring, Barr. Peter Chukwujekwu Ogbe on Legal and Regulatory Compliance, Chukwudi Ozoeluba on Boundary and Land Dispute Resolution, and Frank Udemezue on Small and Medium Enterprise Development.
She is from Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area and is best known for the Nkoli Nwa Nsukka film series.
Eucharia Anunobi was named Special Assistant on Women Mobilisation for the Enugu North zone.
She became prominent in the 1990s, has appeared in more than 90 films and later took up evangelism.
The two roles split along craft and politics. One is tied to film and the creative economy. The other is tied to organising women in a senatorial zone.
Her appointment sits within the broader Special Assistant category, which spans a wide range of portfolios including forest protection, health facility maintenance, environmental protection, market decongestion, youth engagement, civic education, media and community mobilisation. The seven Special Advisers named in the same announcement include Chief S.N.C. Nwagu on Conflict Resolution and Mediation, Hon. Dr Fidelis Odo on Inter-Governmental Affairs and Co-ordination, Augustine Okoli on Policy Affairs and Analysis, Hon. Pedro Nwankwo on Stakeholders Relations and Community Affairs, Chimezie Nkwuo on Economic Development, Chief Vitalis Okonkwo on Grassroots Coordination, and Peter Andy Omeje on Commerce and Business Development.
Neither actress had, in the immediate reporting of the list, issued a separate public comment. The announcement places two familiar Nollywood names inside a large slate of 101 appointments.
