Interview: President Tinubu’s Endorsement, APC Not in Panic Mode-Sen. Orji Kalu
…Says We Are Passionate About Nigeria
His Excellency Distinguished Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, is the two time former Governor of Abia state, in this interview with Core Reporters speaks on national issues as it concern the well-being of Nigerians, especially while the All Progressives Congress (APC) in all levels have endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for second term in 2027 and what Nigerians stand to gain.
Excerpt :
An endorsement of President Bola Tinubu for a second term by your party, Don’t you think it’s panic or fear of the coalition that is coming up, the reason for the endorsements?
No, no, no. I don’t think that a party like APC has anybody to fear about.
We are a ruling party. We are passionate about Nigeria. We love Nigeria. And that is why most of us are building industries all over Nigeria, so Nigerian people can have jobs, even not government. So, there’s nothing like fear. The opposition are there.
If the opposition don’t criticize us for the endorsements, who would they criticize? It’s their job to criticize, but it’s our job to do our job. And we are doing our job perfectly very well. And I hope that Nigerian people in the next few years will appreciate what Mr. President is doing.
Distinguished, Regarding Mr. President’s visit to the Vatican during the inauguration of the Pope, some persons are saying Mr. President, being a Muslim, should have asked a Christian government official to go on that visit. What’s your opinion on that? That’s one leg of my question. The second leg, following endorsements, the wave of endorsements here and there, the APC has endorsed. Are we looking at the Southeast Senators following suit?
Well, is there anything else to endorse? Can you see what I’m wearing? If you look at the dress I’m wearing, you will know what it is. This is the endorsement for President. My dress is perfectly tailored to that and the Southeast caucus is fully in support. We have endorsed him about three or four weeks ago, even before any other person in any group. And I was there, chaired by the Governor of Hope, co-chaired by the Governor of Ebonyi and Deputy Speaker. We were the first that warranted for the national endorsement.
We are going to be fair, absolutely to all Nigerians. And being fair to all Nigerians means we recognize the rule of opposition. If the opposition doesn’t do what they are doing, I will not respect them. They must fight. That is why they are in opposition. Should they go and sleep? The answer is no. They should be vibrant in fighting.
So, Mr. President couldn’t have sent any Christian person. Mr. President is a personal friend of the Pope. They met in Chicago, if some of you don’t know. And the Pope personally invited him. And that is why he went.
And it would be out of place if the President disobeyed the Pope. About 1.8 billion Catholics, including me. How can he disobey our Pope? It’s not possible. So, the President obeyed the Pope. And the Catholics will respect and will also well appreciate him for that obedience he gave to the Pope in 2027.
Your Excellency, from your experience as an administrator, tell Nigerians what convinces you that the election of the President will be better for Nigeria?
Let me be honest with you. I’m a businessman, I’m not a politician. There are only a few things that are not happening. The indices of Mr. President’s policy might not be walking down the line. People are still suffering. Yes, I agree. But it started trickling in on the macro level.
That is, on the upper level, not on the lower level. So, I’m hoping that in the next 2-3 years, the policies of Mr. President will trickle down. And Nigerians will appreciate what Mr. President is doing.
Since 1960, I’m not a psychopath. This is the first President, you know, I have facts. This is the first President that stopped subsidy. This is the first President that merged the dollar. That is why we are suffering.
Because Nigerians are not used to working hard. We are used to getting cheap money. People sleep in their houses and use telephone and get dollar and sell it at very high rate.
People sit in their houses and use their tank farms and collect paper and they make money. This is one President who has said, if you are ready to make money, make it the right way. If you are not ready to make money, you leave it.
So, I don’t think, moreover, they have to vote for him because, you see, President Tinibu is not going to be a President voted by the South alone. He will be a President that will be voted by North and South. And it’s also for the interest of everybody, both the North and the South, for Tinubu to come back.
We don’t want this country to break. We don’t want the country to break. We want the country to continue being our country. I love the country. I’m a product of this country and I’m very proud that I’m a Nigerian. Many people are not proud.
You can see people cursing Nigeria abroad, talking about Nigeria abroad, saying bad things about their own country. It is not good, whether you are in opposition or you are in the ruling party, it’s not good to curse your President or curse the country. Tinubu is not the owner of this country. Is he the owner? To you journalists, is Tinubu the owner? No. We are the owners of the country. The highest he will stay is 8 years.
After 8 years, we will take back our country. Buhari a Daura now true or false? Is he not a Daura? So, one day, Tinubu will go back to Lagos in 2031. He will go back there.
If he wants to see him you go to Lagos. But mostly, what Nigerians should be praying for is for President to be in good health and have a long life to finish his tenure.
Since you came to the Senate, you’ve consistently won the best Senator award. Now, in 2027, what should your people, Abia North expect from you?
Well, it’s only you people who know why you are giving me the award. Is the award not given by you people? Am I the one giving it myself? So, we are working.
In 2027, we will be shifting our program. And once everything will not be roads and schools again, we will move totally to agriculture. We would like to see an agricultural policy, totally.
When I was governor, every Abian, whether you are a civil servant or not, all of them were on the farm. So, what I’m doing in Abia North you are giving me the award, was what I did as governor.
It’s just that Nigerians are hypocrites. They don’t tell the truth. They lie. If you’re in opposition, speak the truth. If you’re in the ruling party, speak the truth. People are afraid of saying the truth and I’m not afraid of saying the truth. So, for me, working is part of my passion.
You know, you must like people, love people before you can work for people. That is it. So, to me, if you go to our constituency, there are a lot of caterpillars there working and they are still working. Wherever they cannot work very well, my foundation augments. My foundation is putting a lot of money in the constituency.
After the IDPR, in the northwest and northeast and everywhere, the next line of action the foundation is putting money is in schools and roads. We are doing a lot for them. So, for me, it’s a passion.
I don’t need money to be, I don’t even have bank account. So, for me, it’s to spend everything I have to lift people up. All leaders must be prepared to lift people up.
Thank you very much. I wanted to say, this attire is very fitting. Will it be made available for other interested Nigerians?
This attire? It’s already, people are wearing it. I’m not just the first person wearing it. Because you people have a gold eye, so that you can see what I’m wearing. I’m wearing something for the president, our president, your president.
