From Kenneth Udeh, Umuahia

The choice of Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu as senator for Abia North senatorial district has been described as the best decision taken by constituents of the zone in the 2019 general election.

The constituents in Umunneochi Local Government made the declaration during the commencement of a mid-term constituency report tour organised by the Senate chief whip to meet and interact with electorate in all the wards in the five local government areas of Abia North.

Kalu said the exercise is to ascertain the impact of his leadership in terms of human resources empowerment and infrastructural projects on his constituents and to also receive direct feedback on other challenges faced by them.

Alongside his team, Kalu toured Lopkanta, Leru-Umuchieze, Nnaeato and Eziama Nnaeato wards where he was  warmly received and hosted by community stakeholders made up of traditional rulers, community president generals and executives, youths and elderly women and men.

In the course of interaction in each of the wards visited by Kalu, the elated constituents testified to the various projects and empowerment sited in their communities as highlighted by the senator, while also expressing their gratitude, adding that their decision to vote Kalu have paid off.

In similar addresses at Lopkanta and other wards, the Senate chief whip faulted the narrative propagated by politicians that his decision during his tenure as governor which led to the creation of the cattle market headed by Fulani natives at Lopkanta gave rise to the current spate of kidnapping and other crimes at Umunneochi.

He said the pioneer initiative of creating the cattle market in Lokpanta was to drive revenue for both the government and the community. He further explained that a law was also enacted to guide the operations of the livestock market, which stipulated that for every cow sold 10 per cent must be deducted and divided into two out of which five per cent would go to the state government and five to the local government.

Kalu asserted that if subsequent governments had implemented the law, the Umunneochi council was supposed to make nothing less than N300 million every month.

According to him, he channelled revenues generated from the Lokpanta cattle market to fight insecurity in Abia State when he was governor.

“I left office as your governor so many years ago. I fought insecurity as your chief security officer from what we raised from the cattle market. The agreement we had while setting up the market was for the state to get five per cent and the local government area to get the other five per cent.

“It was done with good intentions to drive development in your area. We didn’t establish the market to hurt anyone. We brought the market so that money raised from it can be used to build schools, hospitals and water in your area.

“Of course, I created the Lopkanta Cattle market during my tenure as governor of this state, but you can ask Elder ‘Ochi’ the market was lobbied to be sited at that particular area. Initially, I planned to site it at a further distance away from Lopkanta to around the Ishiagu axis leading to Enugu State but three traditional rulers from Lopkanta advocated the cattle market to be sited there at Lopkanta.

“I did it because I love you people. People should stop playing politics with everything, including insecurity. Lives should be valued by all because it is only God that can give life,” he said.

Kalu disclosed that the Lopkanta road was already captured in the 2022 budget and its construction would soon begin in earnest.

Ezeugbo Uwabunkeonye, who represented the president general of Nnaeato community, commended Kalu for the  construction of a two-kilometre road at Ubahu community.

He also mentioned the installation of a motorised water borehole at Ezeoba, reconstruction and the furnishing of Eziama central school with chairs and tables as well as distribution of books, textbooks and school bags to pupils of both primary and secondary schools.

Ezeugbo thanked Kalu for the construction of the roads leading to Achara and Aro-Ipka and the two-kilometre Ubahu community road.

At Lopkanta the community through its traditional leader, Ifeanyi Uduemeze, appealed to Kalu to facilitate the construction of hospital and electricity to the community.

Complaints on insecurity dominated the interactions in all the wards which bordered on kidnapping, rape and other forms of criminality.

Responding, Kalu said though he was worried over the situation, he was, however, incapacitated by the law to preside over security matters in the state.

Kalu told the gatherings that according to the constitution, the federal, state and local government authorities held the prerogative to oversee the affairs of security.

However, Kalu promised to draw the attention of the executive to the ugly security situation, even as he made financial donations to aid the activities of the local vigilantes for the purchase of relevant security gadgets and equipment.

Spokespersons of each wards which include Uduemeze III of Lopkanta, Ifeanyi Eke; Orji of Amorji Leru-Umuchieze, Eze Nwankwo; Uwabunkeonye, and President General of Eziama Nnaeato, Elijah Otutu, all reaffirmed the commitment of their communities to re-elect Kalu to the Senate.

Speaking on behalf of the community at Ebelebe Hall at Nnaeato, Ezeugbo Uwabunkeonye, who  represented the President General of Nnaeato community outlined Kalu’s projects and interventions to the community…