A Former Commissioner for Information and State Orientation in Ebonyi, Chief Abia Onyike, has said Igbo people still need the likes of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC-Abia North) in the Senate chambers.
Onyike, who was also a former deputy national president of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Abakaliki.
He said that Kalu, who was first elected into the senate in 2019, is a frontline politician with vast legislative experience and competence.
Onyike, who lauded Kalu’s achievements in the senate, noted that he was the kind of politician whom the Igbo people needed for a balancing act in Nigerian politics.
He said, “Orji Uzor Kalu does not go for populist rhetorics or empty sloganeering. He is very close to President Bola Tinubu.
“He was able to push through the legislation on the South-East Development Commission (SEDC), for which N500 billion was budgeted for infrastructural interventions.
“Kalu also played an important role in the attraction of the new Federal University to be sited at Item, in Abia; these are landmark achievements.’’
Onyike also added that Kalu has made critical investments in the mass media.
He added, “He is one of the few Igbos with a strong presence in the newspaper industry in Nigeria, employing over 2000 journalists.
“He is the publisher of Daily Sun and New Telegraph newspapers. This is an area most other Igbo businessmen tend to shy away from.
“And we cannot get anywhere in national politics without serious media investments.
“Kalu has demonstrated competence in the senate and service delivery and should be given a chance to continue his good works in senate come 2027.”
Similarly, an Abakaliki city father, Chief Bekee Orji, who hails from Isuochi, in Umunneocha Local Government Area of Abia, has stressed the need for Kalu to be re-elected in 2027.
He said that Orji Uzor Kalu is a man of influence, which he said was necessary for effective representation and service delivery.
He said that Kalu is the type of politician-businessman Igbo people needed, stressing that thousands of Nigeria youths were employed in companies owned by the Senator and also commended Kalu for his investments in the media.