The Many Sins of Orji Uzor Kalu

Orji Uzor Kalu former Governor of Abia State

Written by Chidi Nwosu 
Thursday, 04 August 2005

I was filled with a mixture of sadness and happiness when I heard that Orji Uzor Kalu, Executive Governor, Abia State of Nigeria, was going to deliver a speech on The Changing Role of States and Local Government in Nigeria at a forum on Reform, Accountability and the Future of Nigerian Federalism. I was sad because Gov. Kalu's anti-democratic and corrupt practices make him morally incompetent to deliver a paper on such a topical issue. Yet, I was happy because democracy also offers inept and visionless people like him the opportunity to express their opinions.

Ordinarily, I would not have bothered to react to his speech but for the endorsement of his purported performance in office as governor of Abia State my silence would accord it. According to the Guardian issue of July 27, 2005, the choice of Kalu to deliver the lecture was informed by his purported bringing of many elements of private enterprise into public spheres and institution of far reaching market-based reforms. By implication, Kalu had performed creditably well in the governance of Abia, my home state.
Having monitored the activities of Kalu since his assumption of office in 1999, I shall spare no pains in exposing the glaring failures of his administration. I would like to state categorically that he has failed abysmally in governance, as shown by the following:
1. Abia State Newspaper Limited, Umuahia, publishers of the Ambassadors Newspapers, which was functional as at May 29, 1999, has collapsed. It is alleged that Kalu carted away some of the equipment to his personal publishing house in Lagos. Time will tell. All the workers of this company have been laid off.

2. Golden Guinea Breweries Ltd., Umuahia, brewers of Golden Guinea beer, has stopped production because of the inept and visionless leadership of Kalu.

3. International Glass Industry, Aba, is worse than Kalu met it on May 29, 1999.

4. Ogwe Golden Poultry, Abia Palm Mill, Mbawsi; Abia Palm Plantation, Ohambele; Methological Institute, Aba, are stagnating.

5. Giant water pipes, which were meant by late Sam Mbakwe, for adequate supply of water in Abia State, have been disposed off by Kalu.

6. Modern Ceramics Industry, Umuahia, has been sold off to his cronies who fronted for the Catholic Church, at a paltry sum.

7. General Hospitals, Aba, are neither equipped with qualified personnel, nor stocked with drugs, nor fumigated. They are breeding places for mosquitoes and other disease-transmitting insects. The gates of the hospital have been turned to dumps for dead bodies. The ONLY achievement Kalu has recorded in the health sector of the state is re-naming the Abia State Teaching Hospital to Orji Uzor Kalu Teaching Hospital, after himself.

8. The following roads in Aba, which were constructed and rehabilitated by Gov. Kalu are now worse than before he touched them. They are: Ohanku, Faulks, Obohia, Cemetry. All the staff of foreign donor organizations who have visited me in Aba, including Alexious Butler, former Program Officer for Africa of the National Endowment for Democracy (and now Program Officer of the National Democratic Institute); Chris Wyrod, Senior Program Officer for Africa of the National Endowment for Democracy; Chibuzo Ogbonna, Senior Internal Auditor of the National Endowment, can attest to the bad road network in the state as well as the mountain of refuse all over it. Butler expressed shock in September 2003 at the deplorable state of the road during her visit to me. Wyrod saw how my car was almost trapped in a valley-like road in Aba during his visit to me on January 2005. Ogbonna can narrate some ugly experiences during his visit to me in July 2005.

9. Public schools in the state do not have qualified staff or textbooks. The buildings of most public schools in the state are in a deplorable state; some have no ceilings, tables and chairs. Suffice it to say that education has suffered a great blow in the hands of Kalu. His so-called free education is a myth. It only exists on the pages of newspapers. Following the challenge I posed to them some time in the past, they changed the slogan to free tuition. Yet, he cunningly cons tuitions from students in the guise of outrageous levies.

10. Environment: The state has suffered environmental pollution, resulting from the conversion of major roads in Aba and Umuahia into refuse dumps. Abia is the dirtiest state in Nigeria and probably the whole world, despite the sanitation levies the Kalu administration forcefully collects from the people through waste management agents working for his mother, Mrs Eunice Uzor Kalu.

Refuse dump in Aba

11. Extra-judicial killings: It is only in Abia State that somebody can, in broad daylight, be whisked off by a vigilante group; detained in a dungeon, tortured, secretly tried, and slaughtered like Christmas goat in the full glare of the public. Tell me, in which civilized world is this done? A fruit seller, popularly known as mama OGB, formerly resident at Market Road, Aba, slumped and died after witnessing the brutal murder of a suspected criminal by the Bakassi boys. A native of Akanu Item in Bende Local Government Area, was tortured by nailing his legs to the ground in order to force him to confess to being involved in a robbery. He died not long after his innocence was established. Ben Nwankwo, a native of Amaeke Abam in Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia State, had his head sliced off by the Bakassi boys in July 2001 for stabbing his brother on the hand. Between October 28 and November 11, 2001, the Bakassi boys, Kalu's killer squad, beheaded over 50 shoe-makers at Ariaria International Market, Aba. Ukpau Ukairo, the National Legal Adviser of the National Conscience Party (NCP) is yet to recover from the trauma he suffered after a machete scare by the Bakassi boys. While the Abia people are still recovering from the trauma and psychological effect they suffered during the dark days of the bestially crude Bakassi boys, following the disbandment of the group by the Federal Government. Kalu has quietly reconstituted this group in 2004. Arms are being stockpiled and private armies trained under the cover of combating crime in the state. But we can no longer be fooled. We know he wants to use them in pursuit of his presidential or vice presidential ambition come 2007. Kalu knows the coast is not clear for him to cling either of the offices, hence, he is trying to stoke the embers of disunity in the country.

12. Illegal deductions of monthly federal allocations to councils in the state: In my capacity as the Chairman, southeast zone of the Campaign for Democracy (CD) as well as the President of the Human Rights, Justice and Peace Foundation (HRJPF), I had accused Gov. Kalu of deducting monthly federal allocations to councils in the state, running in billions of naira. Following the media attention I drew to it, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) started investigating the accounts of LGA's in Abia State. To frustrate their efforts, Gov. Kalu went to court to challenge the constitutionality of the Commission, contending that it was the statutory functions of the state government to do so. It is worthy to note that the Bauchi State Governor whose state councils are being investigated did not go to court to stop them. The question that readily comes to mind is: If Kalu's hands are clean, why did he go to court to stop the EFCC?

13. Imposition of outrageous taxes and levies on Abia people: Gov. Kalu, under the cover of passengers insurance and manifest scheme (through which he forcefully collects N10 from every passenger in a commercial vehicle), infrastructural levies (which he collects daily from commercial road users and annually from landlords, tenants and corporate organizations in the state), wheel barrow taxes (which he collects from wheel barrow or truck pushers daily), sanitation fees (which he forcefully collects monthly from individuals, commercial road users and corporate organizations), etc exploits Abia people. It is disheartening this form of slavery is happening at a time when slavery is no longer fashionable.
Take-over of tolls by Gov. Kalu's mother: After the Aba riot of November 1998, which sparked off at the Ariaria Interntional Market, Aba, following the nefarious activities of these gangs, Mrs. Eunice Uzor Kalu, the mother of the Executive Governor of Abia State, constituted a task force to collect =N=15 (Fifteen Naira) daily tolls from road side traders in Aba and Umuahia cities. This task force is made up of members of the Reality Organization, the campaign machinery of Governor Orji Uzor Kalu which is headed by his mother.

Constitutionality of the daily tolls: Though the task force goes in the name of the Abia State Government, it is pertinent to note that the activities of the task force is a contravention of the Fourth Schedule 1(e)(k)(iii)(iv) of the 1999 Constitution, which confers powers on local government councils to establish, maintain and regulate markets, public conveniences, shops and kiosks as well as other places for sale of food to the public. By implication, if there is any tier of government that should collect tolls from these road side market women, it is not the state government but the local government councils.

Where does the toll go to? Apparently, because of the awareness we created on the illegality of the task force set up by Mrs Eunice Uzor Kalu, Aba road side women traders sought audience with her. In the course of the meeting that took place the last week of March, 2005 in Aba, the leader of the delegation asked Mrs Kalu: Where does the toll you collect from us go to? In reply, Mrs Kalu said: It goes to the coffers of the Reality Organization, adding it is used to sustain all the chapters of Reality Organization.
Amazed at her response, another woman in the delegation asked: But why are we asked to contribute to building Reality Organization, since most of us are not members of the organization? Angered by questions from Aba women, Mrs. Kalu, who is addressed as Mother Excellency, retorted, "If you no longer comply in paying the daily tolls, I will order the police to dislodge you from the road side markets."

Illegal arrest and detention of women: Following the failure of road side market women to comply with payment of daily tolls, Mrs Kalu ordered the Area Commander of Aba Police to arrest any woman found trading along the roads of Ariaria International Market, New Market, Eziukwu Market, Ekeoha Shopping Centre, Riverside Market, Buhari Market, Afule Market, Udele Market, School Road Market, and Nkwo Market, all in Aba. From the first week of April to date, an average of 30 women are arrested and detained by the police every week, with each asked to pay the bail out fee of =N=10,000.00. Bail is supposed to be free. We consider it absurd to ask a market woman whose trading capital ranges from =N=100 and =N=1000 to pay a bail out fee of =N=10,000.00. Those who are unable to pay =N=10,000 for bail are languishing in police custody under the most soulless, despicable, and inhuman conditions.

Chidi Nwosu is the President, Human Rights, Justice and Peace Foundation. He is an accountant by training.