Kalu Faults Obasanjo’s Letter to Buhari

...Says weak governors allow herdsmen to kill in their states

Former Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, on Thursday faulted former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, alleging that Obasanjo’s handling of the economy during his time gave rise to the underdevelopment of the country.

Orji also alleged that weak governors allowed herdsmen believed to be Fulani to kill citizens in their states, noting that they have all the powers to prevent such killing and also deal ruthlessly with the perpetrators of such tragic incidents.

Speaking in an interview at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two (MMA2) in Lagos, Kalu said it would be unfair to the Southeast, South-south and South-west parts of the country not to support the second term bid of Buhari, given the need to return power to the Southern part of the country after the completion of his two terms.

He therefore called on Buhari to take urgent action on the challenges of insecurity affecting the country, especially the attack on some sections of the country by Fulani herdsmen.

The former governor said as much as he does not agree with the issues raised in Obasanjo's letter, he would however consult with the intelligence and international community to respond in his own letter to Buhari on a wide range of issues in June this year.

He said it was time Buhari spoke on security issues in the country because it is threatening the fabric of the socio economic cohesion of Nigeria.

Kalu, however, said the challenge of herdsmen/farmers clashes was  lingering in some states because their governors lack the capacity to handle the situation.

According to him, “I don’t support that Fulani herdsmen should be allowed to continue to harass Nigerians. The governors in those states that Fulani herdsmen are killing people are weak. When I was a governor, no Fulani herdsman came to Abia State to harass the people. Is your life being protect by another being? So the governors are not doing what they are supposed to do. If the governors put their feet on the ground, nobody will kill anyone in their states. 

“Every life is very important; every life is sacred. So we must be able to respect one another’s life and moreover, we call on the federal government to find a way to address that issue. The herdsman crises are not to be the benefit of anybody.

“President Buhari must stand up and address this issue. And if I have any opportunity, I will advise him to put his foot down on this issue because it is a delicate matter, but Buhari is not a tribalist the way they say.”

He, however, admitted that Buhari is slow in taking critical socio economic and political decisions that could ginger the pace of governance, as currently experienced.

Kalu said the Buhari's government may be slow in taking critical decisions, but has done well in tackling corruption, noting that there was a high level of graft in the 16 years that PDP ruled Nigeria.

He alleged that the PDP plundered the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) at will, insisting that the APC would open the books to show the level of rot it inherited from the PDP.

On Obasanjo’s letter, the former governor said: "I am not going to talk about former President Obasanjo”s letter because I am going to make some consultations with the United States, Germany, China and the United Kingdom, then  I will come back and speak on that letter. I think the letter is not to the best interest of Nigeria. I don’t want to reply him because I have given you example time without number.  There are three roads Obasanjo refused to build when he was the president of Nigeria which are Port Harcourt-Okigwe-Umuahia-Enugu expressway, being built now by the Buhari administration; the Enugu-Awka-Onitsha expressway. It is being built now by this administration. Obasanjo did not build it. Then there is the Onitsha-Owerri-Aba expressway. The Buhari administration is also building it now.”