Chief Orji Uzor Kalu: Nigeria's President 2007 -- Insha-Allah
Abubakar Adamu, MSc, MCILT.
England, UK
Saturday, February 4, 2006
I am not a man who gambles or a fortune-teller but, I predict and Insha-Allah, Governor Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia State will be the next Nigeria President come 2007 -- if there is no political gerrymandering and the election runs fairly with international observers and no massive riggings. I do not want to be a part of the silence majority. I want to do everything I can to make a difference in my peoples lives.
I do not know much about Governor Orji Kalu’s business or political activities until 31st January 2006 when I by chance read an article by Dr. M. O. Ene on www.kwenu.com website. I am a passionate One-Nation, One-Nigeria dreamer. I occasionally write and contribute to debates about Nigeria issues on gamji, nigeriaworld, kwenu, and arewa-online websites, and also on some Nigerian dailies. What I read about Orji Kalu excites me.
The article by Dr Ene may be as a friend to the man. Of course, the article was full of praises for Chief Kalu as one would expect from a friend? I do not easily get carried away by such sentiments because we Nigerians are full of talks but no collective action to attempt to solve our problems. The man Orji Kalu captures my imagination and attention. I decided to read and research further about this man to back up what Dr. Ene wrote. He made some flowery and flattery languages in the piece about his friend, but mostly near the ‘truth,’ as I discovered later.
I ploughed back some past articles and news stories on the works of Orji Kalu. I watched bits and pieces of video tapes of the man's speeches and body language at World Igbo Congress Convention in Los Angeles, 2005. From my brief encounters, I concluded there and then that the man has some substance to his talks and Nigeria has found one of the new leaders who can be the next President. Orji Kalu has a raw potential for leadership, with fire-burning desires to contribute to a change in Nigeria, a man of our generation and I pray Nigerians will awake to the new reality and new beginning and harness Orji Kalu’s qualities. I have had hope in many potential candidates in Nigeria to lead us out of the decays; Kalu is now added to the list of a quality leader.
Orji
Kalu caught my attention as a leader for all Nigerians. He has passion and love
for Nigeria. I sense and believe the man has no sectarian inclination as can be
assumed or alleged in others. Nigeria has come of age where leaders who wish to
serve only a group or groups’ interest will have no people’s affection. Orji
Kalu asked his audience at the World Igbo Congress Convention, “…Do you see Igbo
written on my forehead? I am a Nigerian." (May not be his exact words but
close.) Has anyone ever heard such pronouncement from any Nigerian leader
before, ever! The Igbo should not make a mistake of presenting Orji Kalu as
an Igbo candidate; they would be doing him injustice. Orji Kalu is a
potential Nigerian Presidential candidate, a Nigeria leader albeit of Igbo
origin.
Time has come for Nigerians to stop all those artificial discriminations and prejudices against each other and work as one nation. All nations in the world have ethnic groups and different customs/traditions but manage or managed to live together as a country. What is so unique about Africa's ethnic allegiances that we cannot work as one nation? I am yet to meet a Nigerian outside Nigeria who introduces himself/herself by ethnic group; we always claim to be Nigerians but, at home, we are Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, or others. Economic and social development can only be achieved through our common dream of good health and welfare.
Therefore, one of the men who encompass the new Nigeria in my opinion and analysis is Governor Orji Kalu of Abia State. He has not claimed to be the coming ‘saviour’ the Nigerians are waiting for to solve all their problems (there is no ‘messiah’ coming to save Nigeria). The man is pragmatic and realistic of what can be achieved by one man and what can be achieved if we pull both our human and natural resources together.
A Leader serves his people and not people serving him/her. Gone are the days when most Nigerians were in servitude to their leaders and suffered oppression and strangulation of freedom. Nigerians especially some of those in Diaspora have seen and enjoyed the fruits of democracy and would wish same at home and those experiencing the new democratic development in Nigeria wishes it to grow and reap the rewards of economic growth and freedom.
I believe, Governor Orji Kalu will lead from frontline and will take less notice of praise-singers and bootlickers. The man has proven records as a businessman, whose empire includes an airline employing or employed thousands of people. He is said to run his State democratically with economic efficiency. There is an economic theory, The Multiplier-Effect, which states that “a factor by which an increment of income exceeds the resulting increment of saving or investment” (The Concise Oxford Dictionary, 1996). Put simply, what is achieved by Orji Kalu in Abia State can have multiplier-effect on Nigeria as a whole.
My reservations, however, include the sentiments that some Nigerians do not really want a change and prefer to maintain the status quo. Some Nigerians in Nigeria are afraid or shy of hard work; they want to depend on someone else to provide for them (or pray). From what I read and heard about Orji Kalu, he would want every Nigerian at home and abroad to contribute their bits. People will have to work hard to achieve something and for self-worth. The choice is in Nigerians hands, a life of servitude (slavery) or hard work and freedom.
Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe are our heroes... may their souls rest in peace... if we move away from self-destruction. Our living legends... people like Professor Wole Soyinka, Professor Chinua Achebe, Mallam Balarabe Musa, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Dr. Rueben Abati, Prince Charles Dickson of Jos and others... can have goodnight sleeps if we have leaders who are not oppressing us or abusing us. Orji Kalu will be one of those leaders to keep our heroes names in good lights for their hard work in nation-building and sacrifices.
Those who surround Orji Kalu must not misled or give him the sense of delusion about ruling Nigeria. Nigeria is one of the most complex and complicated countries to lead but, with sincerity and fairness to all, a leader will make some impact when working for all. There are now many agitations for self-determination and independence from groups including the Ogoni people, Biafra revivals, OPC, Niger-Delta, Oduduwa, and Arewa separatists, Christian or Muslim separatists and others. A good government must address these groups' concerns rather than to ignore their pains or brand some of them "crazy people" or "criminals." I shed tears for the suffering of my people in Niger-Delta; they are Nigerians as any one, our brothers and sisters, not some rebellious lot. These are issues we should be debating about, not which ethnicity, religion, or region the next President should come from.
I disagree with the arguments that the next President must come from the Igbo; an Igbo President will only rule the Igbo people. I disagree with the arguments that the next President must come from the North; a northern President will only rule the north. I disagree with the arguments that the next President must come from the South-South (whatever that means in geography); a South-South President is only a South-South President. I disagree with the arguments that the next President must come from the Middle-Belt; a Middle-Belt President will only rule the Middle-Belt people. I disagree with arguments that the next President must be a Muslim; a Muslim President will only rule the Muslims. I disagree with the arguments that the next President must be a Christian; a Christian President will only rule the Christians. I disagree with the arguments that the next President must be a non-believer; a non-believer President will only rule his non-believer followers. I disagree with the rotational Presidency in Nigeria because we may end up with a rubbish person that his people and the country do not want. I disagree with the power-shift agitation; power must shift to the best candidates for the jobs. I agree with the arguments that the next Nigeria President must be an individual who will rule Nigeria as a country of different beliefs and cultures/traditions. Divide-and-rule principles are not sustainable in a democratic evolution.
Finally, I do not know who will win the 2007 Presidential election. If Chief Orji Uzor Kalu is among the many creditable candidates and wins, Nigeria will be a different and better country, I pray and believe, Insha-Allah. The choice as I said is in the hands of Nigerians. The year 2007 should be the year we draw a line in the sand and say enough of corruptions, inefficiency, and chaos to good governance. TIME FOR CHANGE, TIME FOR THE NEW NIGERIA; this is our generation, our Nigeria.
Kwenu Nigeria!
Kwenu Orji Kalu!
Abubakar Adamu is a Transport Logistician and Freelance Researcher