Senator Kalu Calls For Economic Reforms, Austerity Measures Amid Hardship

Former Governor of Abia State and the Senator representing Abia North Senatorial District, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has stated that he is qualified to be president in 2027, adding that he would contest if President Bola Tinubu did not contest for a second term.

Kalu made the comments on Thursday evening during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

“Let me tell you, first and foremost, I’m qualified to be a President, and I’m competent. We have already a candidate in our political party unless he is not running. If the party allows me to fly their flag, it’s a privilege, it’s not something that will I like? It’s an opportunity given by the party. It’s not about me. My interest in 2027 is to come back, be a lawmaker, sit in the Senate, and work in the Senate”, he said.

Speaking on the hardship in Nigeria, Kalu said  Nigeria was in the situation it was because the country had no economic processes and no organized economy, stating that he believed the government should cut down on expenses.

He added that President Tinubu was making efforts to restore the institutions, noting however that while he (President Tinubu) could be right or wrong in his decisions.

“The record is that there is a worldwide deflation all over the world. It is bad in Nigeria because we have no economic processes. We never had an economy since 60 years ago. There is no organized economy here. We have no light, we have nothing, and our stock exchange is just building up. The institutions that drive the economy are very weak, and this is what President Bola Tinubu is trying to rebuild to make sure the institutions are strong.

Because if you continue with these handouts and a weak economy, you are not going to go on, somebody must make tough decisions. He might be right or wrong. He’s making tough decisions for the future. The question is the Nigerian people, are they hungry? The answer is yes. But our looks worse because we didn’t make decisions at all.”

“People in government ought to maintain austerity measures, I believe they should. There should be more sewing our coat according to our size, scaling down on most things people in government do, scaling down on more gifts the government gives to other countries, scaling down on so many things”, the Senator said.

Kalu further stated that President Tinubu was aware of the economic situation in Nigeria and often went around Abuja at night to see what was happening.

“The President himself knows that Nigerians are suffering; the President knows that Nigerians are hungry. He is a street person, he knows the street very well. The President sometimes uses his car to go around and know what is happening in Abuja here.

“The President goes around the city, visits and goes around. Whether there is kidnap or not, the President goes around to see what is happening, he’s not a president that is locked up in the room”, he stated.