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From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
How many times would a man kill lions before he is addressed as “Ogbuagu” (killer of lions)? Answer: Killing just one lion earns him the sobriquet.
Prior to Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu’s election in 2019 to represent Abia North senatorial zone in the Senate, the zone had been represented by persons who give head pans, shovels and hair driers to the constituents as democracy dividends. But, with the election of Orji Kalu, former governor of Abia State and current Senate Chief Whip, into the Senate to represent Abia North, the narrative changed. Kalu has ‘killed’ so many lions on this front that he cannot only be said to be Ogbuagu, but at the same time feathers surely must be competing for space on his red cap, going by the accolades he has received from his constituents.
While Kalu traversed the length and breadth of the zone during electioneering, he promised the people a new dawn, if elected. And, true to type, he has delivered on his promise.
Nicknamed Action Governor by a former President of the country when he superintended the affairs of Abia, he has brought again brought action to the people of Arochukwu, Bende, Isuikwuato, Ohafia and Umunneochi, the five local government areas that make up Abia North.
Arochukwu LGA
Massive roads reconstruction is going on simultaneously in the five local government areas of Abia North senatorial zone, courtesy of Kalu’s political dexterity. According to the Ogbuagu himself when he inspected some of the ongoing road projects recently, at least 32 of such roads have either been completed in the area or have reached advanced stages. Not given to taking credit for what others did, Kalu disclosed that, out of the roads in question, 21 were his constituency projects, while the remaining were being handled by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), also through his intervention.
Some of the roads that the Senate Chief Whip facilitated and had been completed in Arochukwu include the 3.2-kilometre Atan Ihechiowa Road, which the senator himself recently inaugurated.
Speaking at the event, Kalu said the facilitation, construction and inauguration of the road was in fulfillment of part of his 2019 campaign promises to the people.
“The 3.2km Atan Ihechiowa Road is one of the 19 road projects in Abia North facilitated by me within my first term at the National Assembly.
“Last time I came during the campaign, my vehicles were all covered with dust, and I made a promise to all of you that I would facilitate the construction of this road, and this is what we are witnessing today. Apart from this road, the construction of a 7.9km Opkor/Arochukwu Road is also ongoing. I don’t believe in politics of cash inducement or distribution of materials that are not tangible,” Kalu told the people.
As the Atan Road was being launched, the first phase of the 2.5km Orir-Ikot Okpura-Arochukwu Road, which was attracted by the senator and undertaken by the NDDC, was flagged off to the admiration of the people. The flag-off was preceded by a reception hosted by the community and organized by Chief Eze Aru, a community leader.
An elated Chief Aru told Kalu: “This road is a product of Senator Kalu’s ideology of sincerity in Nigerian politics. This has further proven that Senator Orji Uzor Kalu loves our community, because politics is all about meeting the needs of the people, and the senator has demonstrated this through the construction of this road.”
Traditional ruler of the community, Eze Livinus Nto Mba, Chief Onny Igbokwe, Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, Chief Samson Aku and Chief Chris Ajah, vice-chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia North, all eulogized the former governor, saying he was a symbol of a good representative.
Chairman of the APC in Arochukwu LGA, John Million, went philosophical, saying: “Since the inception of the community, this is the first time we shall be seeing this type of infrastructure development like tarred road.
“We have had senators previously who represented us at the National Assembly, but they did nothing for us. One of them distributed only frying pans and hair driers during his four-year tenure.
“But, today, Senator Orji Kalu has proven them wrong by facilitating various infrastructure projects all over Abia North, not just Ihechiowa community. Today, Abia North stands out among other senatorial districts in Abia State and he has made us proud.
“His achievements in less than two years in office have revealed to us that senators can construct roads. As a result of the road and other projects he has executed, our party, the APC, has witnessed an influx of new members.”
Kalu has also undertaken the renovation of primary schools in Arochukwu council, one of which is the Agbagwu Primary School, Aro-Town, in Arochukwu LGA.
Bende LGA
The people of Bende are no less blessed in having Kalu as their senator. A good number of roads he facilitated in the area have been rehabilitated, while others are undergoing reconstruction. Some of these roads include Igbere/Umuhu Ezechi, Alayi/Ugwueke/Ezeukwu and Lohum/Nkpa roads. Others are the Ukwu Rubber/Amaokwe Item, Amaokwe-Amaeke-Akanu Item and the Amankalu-Alayi/Akoli Imenyi roads.
While inspecting some of the road projects, the Chief Whip announced that the original stretch of the Amankalu-Alayi/Akoli Imenyi Road has been extended from two to three kilometres. The first phase of the project involves a two-kilometre asphalting of the road with drainage on both sides. He said that work was going to commence on the second phase, which will take the road reconstruction to Akoli Imenyi.
Kalu told the people that he had concluded arrangement with the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to do emergency repairs on the Alayi-Item-Nkporo Road, which he built when he was governor.
Chief Jones Udeogu, coordinator of Kalu’s project monitoring team, urged youths in the area not to make trouble, but support the contractor to ensure the work is delivered on good time.
Abia State secretary of the APC, Perfect Okorie, commended Kalu for fulfilling his campaign promises. Okorie, who is from the area, said his people will not forget Kalu in a hurry as they have been finally remembered after much neglect.
Eze J.K. Abba, chairman of Alayi Council of Traditional Rulers, said the event was what his people have been angling for, but have been disappointed by past representatives of the people. He added it was only Kalu that has remembered them, and promised that his people would reciprocate the senator’s gesture by giving him support in all his political endeavours.
Kalu has not been found wanting in the educational sector in the local government area. Courtesy of his political sagacity and connection, OUK, as he is fondly called, facilitated the rehabilitation of some classroom blocks in the area. Some of the schools are Ozuitem Central School, Okafia Igbere Primary School and Item Central School, Okoko. Kalu, while inspecting the school, regretted that it was renovated last when he was governor, over 20 years ago.
The senator went further to fulfill his promises of providing furniture for the pupils of Okafia Igbere and Item Central schools. While performing the delivery of several three-seater desks to the two schools, his legislative assistant, Mbila Uma Ayi, noted that the donations were part of his principal’s policy to facilitate and provide conducive academic environment for Abia North pupils and teachers.
Isuikwuato LGA
“In Isuikwuato LGA, we have three road projects going on at the same time with that of Ohafia. I urge all Abians to continue to join the APC, that they will never be disappointed under the leadership of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu,” said Chief Ajah of the APC, while commenting on the good works of Kalu. The roads under construction in Isuikwuato are the 2km road with drainage and asphalt in Uturu Township in Isuikwuato. Also on Kalu’s construction radar is the 1km extension rural road with drainage and asphalt from Ozara junction to Umuasu (junction of University Road).
Isuikwuto also benefitted from Kalu’s renovation of primary school blocks, which included the rehabilitation of two school blocks at Otamkpa Community School and Ahaba Imenyi Community School.
Ohafia LGA
Ohafia LGA is in no way left out of Kalu’s roads rehabilitation revolution. Some of the roads under reconstruction in the area include the Akanu Ukwu-Abia, Arochukwu Road Junction-Isiugwu and Okunoaku roads as well as the Amurie Nkopro-Abiriba Road.
The former governor said, apart from roads, the APC-led Federal Government was also involved in the rehabilitation of schools and provision of other dividends in the area. He urged the people to keep faith with the government at the centre as more goodies would come their way in the days ahead.
Other democracy dividends Ohafia LGA people are getting through Kalu’s quality representation are the Amurie Nkporo water project, where Kalu told the people that, because of the topography of the area, he had to invite Julius Berger to sink the borehole. Kalu, who noted that another motorized borehole was being sunk at Agbaja Ndiagbo, equally informed the people that one more would be sunk in another part of the community.
Apart from roads, Kalu’s magic wand is felt in the area of education in the council as classroom blocks at Ndi Agwu Abam primary school, Okweji Memorial School, Ozu-Abam, Ugwuafia Primary School and Kpoke Primary School have all received the senator’s magic touch.
Umunneochi LGA
The Lokpaukwu Road, and the 3km Uhaba-Akawa-Aroikpa roads rehabilitation are in process in Umunneochi. While a borehole is being sunk at Ezioba community, the rehabilitation of Umuelem Central School, Isuochi, and Eziama Community School, Nneato, are in progress.
Outside the road and other projects that have been completed or at various stages of execution, Kalu caused many other projects, some of which had already been taken off, to be accommodated in the 2021 budget.
They are the construction of 1km rural road with drainage and asphalt from Ututu to Isu in Arochukwu LGA; construction of 2km rural road with drainage and asphalt in Itumbuzo, Bende LGA; construction of 1km rural road with drainage and asphalt from Apanu to Akanu in Item, Bende LGA; construction of 1km rural road with drainage and asphalt in Uzo Rubber in Amaokwe Item in Bende LGA; and the construction of 2km rural road with drainage and asphalt, Amankalu Alayi to Akoli Imenyi, also in Bende LGA.
Others are the construction of 1km rural road with drainage and asphalt in Amaoku Alayi in Bende LGA; construction of 2km rural road with drainage and asphalt from Abia to Akanu Ukwu, in Ohafia LGA; construction of 1km rural road with drainage and asphalt at Isiugwu, Ohafia LGA; construction of 2km rural road with drainage and asphalt in Uturu Township in Isuikwuato LGA; construction of 1km rural road with drainage and asphalt from Ozara junction to Umuasu in Isuikwuato LGA (junction of University Road); and the construction of 1km rural road with drainage and asphalt from Ndi Uduma Awaoke (Chief Awa Kalu SAN Road) in Ohafia LGA.
Also on the list is the supply of motorcycles, sewing machines and generating sets for his constituents in Arochukwu, Bende and Ohafia LGAs, as those in Isuikwuato and Umunneochi LGAs had already received theirs last year. The packages also included supply of wound gel and gynecological (cervical cancer gel) and the supply of rice and fertilizers for rural women in the five LGAs of Abia North. Investigations revealed that these projects cost over N2bn.
A man not given to discrimination, the Senate Chief Whip included in this year’s federal budget the construction of students’ hostel in Holy Rosary Secondary school, Umuahia, which is in Abia Central senatorial district.
More constituents laud Kalu
When Kalu toured the projects, which included roads, schools and water scheme, the people hailed, calling him such names as “the People’s Senator,” “Man of the People,” “Father-Father” and “Master Strategist.”
Hear the Ezeogo of Abia-Ohafia community, Chief Emmanuel Ebere: “Since the creation of the earth, this is the first time the people are seeing tarred road. The Premier of defunct Eastern Nigeria, Dr. Michael Okpara, and even the late Chief Sam Mbakwe, former governor of old Imo State, and some other governors, all came at one point or the other with promises to tar the road, but not until Kalu went to the Senate”.
Ezeogo Ebere said his people were behind Kalu in his political endeavours.
Rt. Hon. Arua Arunsi, ex-Speaker, Abia House of Assembly and former member, House of Representatives, thanked Kalu for his quality representation. Commenting on the water borehole attracted by Kalu, Arunsi said it was the first time the people of Nkporo would have borehole water in commercial quantity and said the people were solidly behind Kalu.
