ABA, NIGERIA – Former Abia State Governor and current Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has warned against returning Nigeria to the petroleum subsidy regime, describing it as “a very big scam,” Punch Newspaper reports.
Speaking to journalists at his Igbere residence on Tuesday, Kalu said subsidizing food and agriculture would be more beneficial for Nigerians grappling with economic hardship.
“The President knows people are hungry, and he is working to ensure the country is pulled out of hunger,” Kalu told Punch, backing President Bola Tinubu’s economic agenda.
He called on Nigerians across political lines to support Tinubu, noting, “President Tinubu has done very well in the last two years. Let us come together and support him.”
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Kalu argued that while economic challenges persist, progress is evident, especially in stabilizing the exchange rate over the past nine months.
“In the next two to three years, the economy will be stabilized,” he said. “I know people are suffering—I pay people, I manufacture, I sell.”
According to Punch, Kalu emphasized that his remarks were based on national interest, not party loyalty. “I’m not part of the economic team. I speak as a citizen,” he clarified.
On security, Kalu defended his record as governor, saying he laid the foundation for a safer Aba through the Bakassi Boys’ collaboration with security agencies.
“There’s nowhere in Africa that doesn’t know Aba and Enyimba City,” he told Punch. “I built Aba to use its resources to develop other places.”
Addressing his recent visit to Governor Alex Otti, Kalu said the meeting focused on development, especially his plan to establish five factories in Igbere within a year.
Kalu reaffirmed his commitment to the All Progressives Congress, stating, “I’m APC to the core. To suspend me, you must go to the NEC.”
He concluded by urging unity and long-term national vision, saying, “We’re building a strong democracy. It’s not a job done in a day,” Truth Live News gathered.
