From Kenneth Udeh, Abuja
Abia North Senator, Orji Uzor Kalu, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Thursday formally received his Award Plaque for Constituency Development, which he has won for the third time.
The Senate Committee Chairman on Privatisation emerged as the overall best among 108 of his colleagues to clinch the coveted prize at this year’s Senate Press Corps Award ceremony, held on Monday at the NICON Luxury Hotel, Abuja.
Due to pressing legislative duties, Kalu was unavoidably absent during the main event. He was presented with the award by the leadership of the Senate Press Corps, led by its outgoing Chairman, Mr James Itodo, and newly elected Chairman, Mr Taiye Odewale.
The brief presentation ceremony took place at the National Assembly office of the senator, where a citation of Kalu’s achievements was read.
The citation highlighted Kalu’s notable trajectory in business and politics, with a special focus on critical infrastructure projects and human empowerment initiatives he has executed in his senatorial district since his election in 2019.
Speaking to journalists after receiving the plaque, the former Abia State governor expressed gratitude to the Senate Press Corps for deeming him worthy of the award once again.
He reaffirmed his commitment to delivering additional democratic dividends to his constituents and sponsoring people-oriented bills and motions.
On the 2025 Budget, Kalu thanked the President for the budgetary allocation to defence but stressed the need to prioritise manufacturing and agriculture.
He said: “I thank the President for considering defence. If we don’t keep peace, I don’t think we can do anything. It means we will do a lot to go back to agriculture.”
“I would like to see this budget improve the Banks of Industry and Agriculture to add stimulus back to the economy. If we don’t stimulate the economy, we can’t bring down the dollar-to-naira rate.”
“Production and export must be key, and we have to pay attention to manufacturers. We should see how we can redirect some of this budget to favour manufacturers and support development banks so we can move forward.”