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I’ll cherish being the arrowhead for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 – Kalu
“Let me tell you, if this economy does not borrow, it will collapse. That’s the truth. That’s where we are,” were the words with which Orji Kalu, Senator representing Abia North, at the National Assembly, drew attention to the parlous state of the Nigerian economy currently being managed by President Bola Tinubu.
Kalu, former Governor of Abia State, who spoke on Monday while appearing as a guest on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, while acknowledging that he was not a member of the committee that scrutinises loan requests, insisted that such borrowing is necessary for economic survival.
Kalu, who sparked public reactions last week when he appeared at the Senate wearing a customised outfit emblazoned with the inscription “Tinubu for President 2027,” told his host: “Of course, the committee of foreign and local debts used to scrutinise them. I am not a member of that committee. You know these jobs are done mainly at the committee level.”
Speaking on the outfit, he said it was the evidence of the ingenuity of his constituents in Aba, dismissing that his action symbolised sycophancy, stating: “Who else would have made that dress other than Aba tailors? It was made in Aba, dyed in Aba and delivered in Aba. It is only Aba people who are hardworking that can do it. It’s very fashionable and I will wear it again.
“Can a man like me be sycophantic? I am not running for anything. Where am I running to? I’m only running to return to the senate. It’s not political sycophancy. I am a man that can’t be sycophantic. It is a uniform for 2027. Sure, my house manager just made it available that morning, and I wore it. I don’t see anything wrong in wearing it. It’s you press (media) people that saw something wrong. INEC has lifted the ban on the campaign, but we are preparing.”
Kalu, who said he would be glad to be Tinubu’s official campaign manager in 2027, said the President should not be viewed through the lens of regional politics, adding that there was nothing wrong in All Progressives Congress starting early to project him for the 2027 reelection.
Hear him: “What is wrong with that? I will be very happy to accept it and do the job for him. I don’t have anything to regret in doing the job. President Tinubu is not the president of the south but the candidate of Nigeria, and I am a Nigerian. I have always said this — every Nigerian should stop addressing himself or herself by region.
“I have asked for legislation where I suggested we remove all local government and state information on forms; people should only fill in that they are Nigerians.”
“We are a political party, and there must be activities of a political party. We had a midterm assessment of our party where the whole party’s stakeholders gathered. I was in the Senate to do my legislative job, and the journalists ran over me. It’s my dress, and I have the right to wear anything I like.
“There is freedom of association and freedom of speech. I also have the right to say what I want to say. I’m not regretting what I said. I work hard for every penny. Most rich people are waiting on these beds to take money from subsidies and sell dollars. These are what they have been doing. But it’s not about all Nigerians; I said most Nigerians, not all.”
“I think about the people more than most of those attacking me. They have money, but they can’t build any industry in Nigeria. I still have about 14,000 Nigerian employees on my payroll today, and I’m building more industries to employ more. When I speak the truth, you know I don’t bend my words. I’m not a politician in the first instance — I just found myself doing this.
“President Tinubu needs a few more years. I think the economy will have a good sense of direction in two years, and the benefits will start coming. This economy has been in shambles, and it was not caused by anybody.
“Tinubu promised to reduce poverty, and the public must be realistic about expectations. There is no rocket science about it. Nigerians should be patriotic. The whole world is still feeling the effects of COVID.”
It was another day of misery in Kwara State, when daredevil terrorists reportedly stormed Yashikira Community in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, and as has been the case in many of the attacks, abducting scores of residents including women and children.
But, apparently to register their authority, the gunmen, who were said to have operated for hours without challenge from the security operatives, were said to have torched the palace of the Emir.
The attackers, which reportedly occurred late Sunday night were said to have announced their presence through heavy firing and after storming the palace of the monarch during the period, set it on fire before whisking away their victims, but a similar attempt at the police station in the community, was repelled.
While some of the residents, narrated how the spent hours without resistance, leaving behind destruction and fear in the border community, another account said the villagers were caught unawares as the gunmen invaded the town under the cover of darkness.
However operatives made up of the police and military personnel, were said to have launched a manhunt immediately for the immediate rescue of the victims, including throwing a cordon in the area as part of the mission.
“The suspect offered ₦500 million to the SPU commander in an attempt to make the team stand down and allow him to contact his associates to move the consignment elsewhere. The offer was rejected immediately and properly documented for further investigation.”
These were the exact words of Olohundare Jimoh Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), with which he detailed how operatives of the Zone 2 Command of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) scoffed at a N500million bribe to turn their eyes off the importation of a huge consignment of drugs imported into the country.
This was part of the details of a major breakthrough by the operatives after bursting a major drug trafficking syndicate in Lagos, which led to the seizure of suspected illicit drugs estimated at ₦7.8 billion and arresting several suspects, including the alleged kingpin.
In the operation, reportedly carried out by officers of the Special Protection Unit (SPU) in collaboration with divisional police detectives, the operatives, were said to have stormed a house in Mende, Maryland area of Lagos, following months of surveillance and intelligence gathering coordinated by the Zone 2 Headquarters.
The recovered drugs consisted of hundreds of bags of suspected Canadian Loud, allegedly stored in the residence of the prime suspect, Jimoh, said disclosing that the suspect was apprehended on May 19 after weeks of strategic monitoring by operatives.
Offering further details, he said the operation was executed with technical support and guidance from the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, alongside coordinated efforts between the SPU and divisional police teams.
Jimoh revealed that during the operation, the suspect allegedly attempted to bribe the SPU commander with ₦500 million to compromise the mission and allow the movement of the drug consignment.
The AIG described the development as a reflection of the renewed professionalism and operational discipline being entrenched in the Force under the current policing strategy.
He noted that the success of the operation underscored the importance of deploying specialized police units alongside conventional divisional teams in tackling organized crime.
According to him, the operation demonstrated the effectiveness of rapid containment strategies, intelligence-led policing, and professional conduct among the operatives involved in the raid.
“Rapid containment was achieved as the Special Protection Unit worked with divisional teams to secure the perimeter and prevent escape or interference with evidence.
“The operation was intelligence-driven, following months of surveillance and technical monitoring before the raid was carried out.
“The immediate rejection and documentation of the bribe attempt also reflect the standard expected from redeployed personnel at the divisional level,” Jimoh added.
Reacting to the development, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, commended the operatives for their professionalism, saying the success of the operation validated the ongoing redeployment of personnel to divisions and units across Lagos and Ogun states.
The IGP noted: “Policing must be close to the people, and our specialized units must work side by side with divisional teams on the ground.
“The professionalism shown by the SPU commander in rejecting a ₦500 million bribe and following due procedure is the standard we expect. It shows that when you put your best foot forward at the grassroots, you get results and restore public trust.”
Disu further assured that the Force leadership would continue to reward integrity while holding officers accountable to the highest ethical standards.
Police authorities said exhibits recovered during the operation have been properly documented and will be tendered in court. The suspects are currently in custody while investigations continue to track down other members of the drug trafficking network.
Slavery is a wound on the memory of the Universal Church, Pope Leo XIV, said on Monday, as he issued a fresh apology over the participation of the the Catholic Church in the centuries-long delay in condemning slavery.
The pontiff stressed the position of the church after his predecessors had offered similar apologies, said: “For this, in the name of the Church, I sincerely ask for pardon.”
Writing in a major text that warned about “new forms of slavery” behind the digital economy, the joined John Paul II, who denounced slave trade in 1992 before issuing a sweeping request for forgiveness for historical injustices in 2000 and Pope Francis who also repeatedly denounced contemporary forms of slavery.
In his own vein, Pope Leo, pointed out that the Church owned slaves until the Middle Ages and it also advised European sovereigns on how to justify the enslavement of “infidels.”
He stressed in “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), a document focused primarily on the rise of artificial intelligence, that it was only in the 19th century that “a formal, absolute and universal condemnation of slavery was clearly articulated.”
Hear him: “It is true that past events cannot be judged anachronistically, as though the moral criteria that matured over time had always been available. Yet neither can we deny or diminish the delay with which both society and the Church came to denounce the scourge of slavery. This constitutes a wound in Christian memory, one from which we cannot consider ourselves detached.”
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