In the game of love, it is given so that it wouldn’t be returned. But those
who share in the love rendered return same to the giver most times. This is
why people say that somebody is loved by history. In this clime, we have
seen people rewarded with chieftaincy titles in their different villages,
because of their act of benevolence to their kinsmen and women. At the
national level, many have been rewarded with notional prizes, because of
their contributions. In like manner, we have to honour and appreciate one
of our own in the person of Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu (OUK), former Governor of
Abia State. The Emetu Mba, Ahu Mba Ndigbo.
What has spurred this treatise was Kalu’s comment in an interview recently
that all his harangues about Ndigbo to be the president in 2015, are not
borne out of self-seeking purpose. This shows that he is in love with
Ndigbo, not for selfish reasons, but for justice to prevail. Kalu derives
no pleasure in watching Ndigbo suffering in a country that their forebears
sprinkled their bloods for. This is not flatter, but a compliment to
self-sacrifice, not for self-need, but for the needs of Ndigbo, who know no
other tribute in Nigeria, than the third fiddle they are placed as, by
those who do not mean well to them.
Known as a politician and business mogul, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu is more than
this. These titles were ascribed to him due to the distinguished part of
his social or public life that people know. But the dude is more than what
people think he is. In the cause of penning this tract, some persons that
were interviewed, said that Kalu is a humanist to the heart and a secret
donor to the needy and the downtrodden that cut across the country, and
does not like to amplify this area of his life. One of the persons was,
however, pleading that Kalu should forgive all the persons that forced him
to pull most of his businesses out of the country, which made over 20, 000
people lose their jobs. It may offend him discussing this in the media; but
like Ndigbo would say, there is nothing hidden under the sun.
This is a man who has left the comfort of his zone to champion for the
security and peace of Nigeria and by extension, for the emancipation of
Ndigbo in the political progress of the country by 2015, with his pet
project called and known as Njiko Igbo. This organisation now cuts across
all divides of Europe, Asia, Africa and America. Kalu sees the emergence
of an Igbo presidency in 2015 as his last plan. What a man with meek,
practical and humane heart!
He has never extolled himself for this selfless task, but keep on saying
that Ndigbo have men and women of honour that the cap of president would
fit. He would tell whoever, that he has no political aspirations for now,
but to show love to Nigerians and, by large extent Ndigbo, in producing
president of this country. He is calling on the Igbo to be very determined
than ever.
The ex-Governor is not only talking about the Igbo to produce president,
but that the marginalisation against his people has reached even to the
Local Government Areas, whereas some surrogates of the current presidency
are mistaking appointments of some persons from the Igbo extraction to mean
that Ndigbo have been included in the things of governance in the country.
The later persons do not realise that the LGAs in places like Kano and
Gigawa States, are more than the whole LGAs in the whole of the five states
of the South-East. This is the bane that Kalu has been tackling and making
sure that they are redressed headlong.
Who could believe that the South-East is the only region in Nigeria that
has only five states, whereas other five political regions have six states?
What about just 15 senators that the South-east has out of 109-member
Senate? Kalu sees these pitfalls in the political equation in the country
as biased ensconce against Ndigbo. He sees the authorities undermining
Ndigbo as hypocrisy of the highest order.
As a man who loves Ndigbo, he would say that Ndigbo love themselves. This
is contrary to the hypocrisy in the country that Ndigbo do not love
themselves. He would challenge this surrounding-substance by asking if all
the tribes in the country love themselves. Why single out Ndigbo that they
do not love themselves? Kalu sees this as hypocrisy and propaganda of the
un-imaginable measure. Kalu has said that Igbo traders in the market love
themselves, Igbo market men and women love themselves.
OUK does not only talk, but offers solution to solving the problems he sees
in the country. He has told the authorities to stop any act of hypocrisy or
system that makes a region to feel superior against the other; he has told
the authorities to create avenues that would make Nigerians to love one
another; he has advised the authorities to allow Ndigbo to be president and
not a select of persons from other regions, because of fake regional
population; he has said that the authorities should address the
marginalisation in the Constitution for democracy in this country to
reconcile.
