By: Chijioke Paul Okeifufe
There is an adage with says that a prophet is not respected in his hometown, but Senator Orji Uzor Kalu is among the rare number of that are respected in their home town and beyond.
The caliber of people that thronged recently to behold the triumphant entry of Orji Uzor Kalu into Abia his state, after he was temporarily imprisoned unjustly and subsequently freed, substantiated the reality on the ground that Orji Uzor Kalu still remains a top-notch among the few greatest political forces in Igbo Land.
It is not unusual to see a crowd of people around most Nigerian politicians because a lot of them are rented crowd, but the crowd that usually greets Kalu is exceptional. He was a man of the people before he dreamt of becoming a politician.
Kalu is a not just the usual Nigerian politician, but a businessman and a philanthropist.
He was a very successful businessman, a philanthropist, and a billionaire before he ventured into the murky water of Nigerian politics to make things right.
He had fought so many political battles, lost businesses, lost billions of naira, and also savored sweetness and agony of unjust imprisonment for standing on what is right, and most especially, for protecting the interest of his people. However, he is still waxing strong amidst several turbulences he had encountered in the political realm of this country.
Kalu has touched so many lives, picked so many from the dungeon of poverty, and made them multi-millionaires.
He visited the prison and became the savior of many in the prison. He secured the freedom of many innocents prisoners and made life easy for hundreds of inmates and prison warders.
Kalu is a man who has no interest in religion or tribe but in humanity. His religion is humanity and his tribe is humanity.
Aside from the number of people that welcomed him at the Sam Mbakwe Airport, Owerri, his home town, Igbere, has been a replication of a holy site since his return, because of the uncontrollable inflow of dignitaries, family, and friends from different walks of life.
Among the number of competent politicians from the Southeast that may likely vie to represent the Southeastern region in Aso Rock, come 2023, Kalu is presently standing out as the only grassroots politician with the expected whims and caprice to victoriously take the day.
Yes, he will definitely take the day, not because he has the financial ability to do so, but because he has the people’s ability to do so from the grassroots level to the top.
The triumphant entry of Kalu to his home state is truly a 2023 litmus test. He is surely going to be widely accepted.