By Okey Sampson
Chief Whip of the Senate and former Governor of Abia state, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, on Monday night, said he is thankful to God to have been imprisoned for six months.
He revealed that God allowed the conspiracy of his enemies because it is part of his life script.
Kalu made the revelations in Aba North Ward 1 during his ward to ward campaign for All Progressives Congress (APC), candidate, Chief Mascot Uzor Kalu for the Aba North/South Federal Constituency by-election scheduled to hold on Saturday, March 27.
The former Governor was responding to statements from Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu and Senator representing Abia South Senatorial zone, Enyinnaya Abaribe accusing him of unrecovery from Kuje prison experience.
Ikpeazu and Abaribe in their reactions consecutively had stated that Kalu’s suggestion that road projects in Aba are funded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the federal government is a clear pointer that something is wrong with him.
“It is either he is yet to fully recover from the effects of his several months of incarceration at the Kuje prisons or he is just plain ignorant.” the Governor’s press statement read.
In his counter-reaction, Kalu told a mammoth crowd in Aba that Abaribe was little minded to think he was ashamed of his prison experience. He said Abaribe who he picked from the gutters and made him Deputy Governor was busy supplying petitions to his conspirators because they thought he would be President in 2023.
“My conspirators thought I would be President in 2023, so they decided to cut my journey short at all cost. Abaribe continued to supply petitions. But you see, these people are not God. They think I am ashamed to have gone to prison. I am not and I don’t blame them because they don’t know my relationship with God. They are little minds and wicked people who have refused to do any project for their people. They have kept a centre table for you and called it a bridge. You can’t even pay Common salaries and you are here swearing true to God, na I build this road. The only road the state is constructing is the 600 meters road in Eziukwu which they have been building for the last six years; that’s one year 100 meters. Compare my village and these people’s village and you will see how shameless they are. If you can’t build your village, is it my own you will build?” Kalu queried to the thunderous response of Nooo
“This is 10 PM and I am here with you, can the Governor or Abaribe come here? That is why in leadership you have to be with the people you are leading. But they don’t understand this simple technique, all the projects they claim to be doing are all on the radio, nothing on the ground. Joseph went to Prison, even Obasanjo went to prison. My going to prison is part of my life script and I am thankful God allowed it.
Recall that Kalu had last weekend lambasted the state government for laying claims to World Bank NEWMAP projects, NNDC and Federal government-sponsored projects in Abia as state government-funded projects.
Speaking to a crowd in Igwebuike Hall in Aba South, Kalu had said, The federal government of Nigeria is responsible for the N27 billion Ngwa road and not the state government. A government that is owing over 23 months to Abia Polytechnic, 22 months to Abia Teaching hospital, 18 months to Health Management Board, 27 months to Technical School Arochukwu, amounting to over N29 billion as arrears of salaries excluding pension can not embark on an N27 billion road job. You cannot give what you don’t have.
“The Senator representing you in the Senate, Enyinnaya Abaribe has been in the Senate for 16 years and has done no single project in Abia South. He is busy speaking English as if English is what you need. You need infrastructure, you need good roads, you need schools and hospitals. Go to Abia North, just a year in the Senate, I have given them 19 roads, renovated schools, built hospitals with a lot of empowerment. Abaribe is so shameless that he doesn’t even have a road leading to his village in Ohuru.
Meanwhile, a social-cultural group, OUK Movement has given explanations to Kalu’s claim on the projects in Abia. In a statement signed by the state Chairman of the movement, Ndukwe Agu Orji, the movement noted that Abia State cannot execute a job of 27 billion naira project with only N500m and wants Abians to be hoodwinked into praising them.
“Governance is not only about resurfacing 400 to 600 meters of the road or Commissioning NNDC projects as state government projects. The responsibility of securing the N27b term loans from the World Bank was fully undertaken by the Federal government. The resolution authorizing the borrowing is sourced and approved by the National Assembly and the final loan agreement signed by the Federal Ministry of Finance for onward lending to the states.
“These loans are covered by the sovereign guarantee of the federal government hence the federal government is 100% responsible for the projects. The state government should stop telling lies. They should pay salaries first”.
