Abia-born cleric Rev Kalu Ukpai Ota has urged political parties in Abia State not to field candidates against the lawmaker representing Abia North Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Orji Kalu, in the 2027 National Assembly elections.
Speaking in a Thanksgiving sermon in Aba, Ota, who said indices showed that the former Abia state governor had performed well, noted that Kalu’s portrait of legislative excellence has left no one in doubt of his parliamentary capabilities and expertise.
“He remains the only leader to offer the state purposeful and transformational leadership both as a governor and as a lawmaker.
“His scorecard so far has shown ability and dexterity in law-making, legislative advocacy, and proficiency in building bipartisan alliances.
“I am talking about a lawmaker who sponsored our children to study medicine and surgery outside the country, despite the challenges the country is facing with foreign exchange.
“I am talking about someone who built over 70 roads as a lawmaker and attracted the renovation of schools in almost all the communities in Abia North Senatorial District.
“Someone who built and equipped the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH); he recruited reputable professors and made the ABSU Faculty of Law one of the best in the country, and law students from Abia State University topped their peers for years in the Nigerian Law School while he was the governor of the state.
“We were all here; education was free from primary to secondary schools, salaries were paid promptly, he built houses and general hospitals for them and our mothers had access to healthcare and agricultural inputs.
“It was Orji Uzor Kalu’s administration that built the Okpara Auditorium to the state in which it was before Theodore Orji took over.
“The Aguiyi-Ironsi Conference Centre, Legislators’ Offices, all the Housing Estates in the State, Joint Allocation Committee (JAC) building, Commissioners’ Quarters, staff quarters in Lagos and Abuja, the gigantic Abia House, Abuja, and the Aba and Umuahia Township Stadia were built by his administration.
“He successfully initiated and completed in Aba: Cameroun Road, Ojike Lane, Ehere, Ehere Road Extension, Umuola, and All Saints’ Academy—all handled by Grandstar Construction Company Limited?
“What of Umuahia? We did the following roads: Igbere, Aguiyi-Ironsi Layout, 4 Nos. Roads in Government Station Layout, Okigwe Park, Aba Park, Agulu, Olokoro, Awkuzu, Cameroun, Orlu, Nkwerre, Timber, Afara, Niger/Asaba, Asphalt overlay at Mater Dei Cathedral, Okigwe Park Link Road, Nkwoegwu to Express, Umuobasi, Oba, Car Park and Extension of Arochukwu Street, Ohuhu, Olokoro Street with spur to Olokoro Crescent, Eze Ogbulafor, and Nsukka.
“Apart from Umuahia and Aba, which took a large chunk of the roads, he also undertook gigantic road projects across the state, especially in the rural areas.
“They included the following: Owaza-Obehie-Azumini in Ukwa East (over 40 kilometres), Ekenta Igbere, Asaga-Ndibe-Amuma-Okon-Amangwu in Ohafia, Nkwoegwu Ring Road in Umuahia North, Abiriba Ring Road, Umuikea-Omoba in Isala Ngwa South, Ndiro-Irunta in Ikwuano, Umuchieze-Leru-Lomara-Nneato in Umunneochi (over 20 kilometres), Ururuka-Acho Nwakanma’s residence in Obingwa Local Government (the Acho Nwakanma’s stretch was over 10 kilometres), and all the roads in Ikwuano.
“He also started some roads, which his successors deliberately refused to complete. They included Igbere-Umuhu, Mbawsi, Nunya, and Alayi-Ugwueke-Ebony State.
“He also did some road work in Igbere. They included: Central School Road, Amankalu I, Amankalu II/Ibinaukwu, Access Road to Okafia, Golf Road with Drain, and Umuobasi.
“Working in conjunction with the Education Tax Fund (ETF), he was able to transform our school system. Let me quickly state here that the morale of students and teachers was very low, while parents grappled with high school fees and poor service delivery.
“To deal with the problem, he undertook a survey of all the dilapidated schools in the state, and the figure we got was mind-boggling: 1,250. Again, many of the schools lacked teaching aids, science equipment, and qualified teachers. Added to this were the unpaid arrears of the minimum wage for teaching and non-teaching staff, running into several months.
“Through the State Primary Education Board (SPEB), his government executed the following projects at the various primary schools in the state: tuition-free education at public schools, renovated 821 dilapidated schools, constructed 524 new classrooms, provided 155,000 desks and benches, 1,700 chairs, provided 1,800 first aid boxes, printed and procured instructional materials, and reviewed the Abia State Curriculum module to cover such important subjects as Igbo, Agricultural Science, Physical Education, and Health Education.
“He also maintained regular subventions to all the tertiary institutions in the state, including SPEB and SEMB. In addition, he built new hostels at ABSU and provided them with a 500KVA generator, a 1414 bus to the SUG, and a 16-seater bus for the management.
“He also upgraded facilities at Abia State University, Uturu, and other tertiary institutions in the state to enable them to get accreditation for relevant courses.
“Government is continuity; those who came after failed to sustain the momentum; rather, they invested heavily to destroy him.
“I am happy Nigerians are now celebrating geometric power—a project that will stand the test of time. It all started under him, as Governor Otti pointed out.
“It was unfortunate for Abians when then President Olusegun Obasanjo denied him and the Israeli company he brought permission to develop a seaport at Ohambele. It was all about vindictiveness and the desire to cage Orji Uzor Kalu.
“Since he joined the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2019, numerous bills he sponsored are no doubt clear indications of a man with the firm understanding and capacity to play for the high stakes at the highest level in our body polity.
“It is only wise for all the parties in Abia State to collapse their structures in the 2027 Abia North Senatorial election for Senator Orji Uzor Kalu and allow him to return unopposed for the prosperity of our dear state and senatorial district. It shouldn’t be about political parties; it should be about performance and Orji Uzor Kalu, he declared.
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