Breaking: I have 13,000 Nigerians on my payroll – Orji Kalu
The Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Kalu says he has 13,000 Nigerians under his employment across different sectors of the economy.
The former governor of Abia made the disclosure in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday.
Mr Kalu, who was responding to questions on presidential aspirants, said anyone aspiring to become Nigeria’s president should be an individual with the capacity to improve the economy, security and make all Nigerians happy.
He reiterated that he will contest the presidency, if his party the All Progressives Congress, APC, zones the 2023 presidency to the South-East.
“I have told Nigerians that if it is zoned to the South-East, I’m already a candidate
because I am not desperate. But I am anxious to change the way of living and the economy of Nigeria which is what I know how to do best.
”I can change the economy in four years, I can bring back the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to be competing with the U.S. and Japan and all the rest of them.
“I can bring back the capacity utilisation to be under 4 and 5 per cent like a hurricane.
“Everybody says he is a presidential aspirant, what is the experience, the public service experience, the capacity to build, I employ 13,000 workers in Nigeria and I have capacity to manage people.
“But the party is supreme, if it zones the presidential position to South-East, I am number one candidate, there are only two zones that have never been President- the South- East and North –East.
“So, if they bring it to my zone, I am capable, I have everything it takes to deliver the APC to victory.
”Not by talk, but by action, I will rework the economy that every Nigerian, no matter where you live or stay you will be happy in your pocket, in your house, with sustained electricity and water supply.
“I will bring back the proudness of Nigerians to carry Nigerian passport, I am capable of doing that.
“Anybody that wants to be president must be a president that will be able to work for Nigerian people, the two major things a president should look at are the economy and security.
“These are areas of focus to bring back our economy to be a running economy.”
He said the current state of the economy was a reflection of the economic downturn in the world, noting that economies all over the world are experiencing challenges.
“It is not the cause of President Buhari, there is world-wide economic downturn, I have businesses all over the world and this businesses are not doing well.
“I have business in all the West African countries, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and we are losing money, and it is a worldwide deflation of all the economies,” Mr Kalu said.
On the success of the APC convention, Mr Kalu attributed it to wide consultations made by President Muhammadu Buhari that resulted in the emergence of Sen. Abdulahi Adamu, via consensus arrangement.
“Mr President in his wisdom was able to solve the problem, do you know how much money was saved from the pockets of aspirants by that consensus? So the consensus was not just taken in the bedroom of the president, the president consulted the governors.
“He consulted the leadership of the National Assembly, of which I was one of them, he consulted other stakeholders of the party, the youth and the aspirants and we did not fight, and it came out successfully.”
Mr Kalu, again congratulated Buhari for the skills employed to ensure a successful convention of the APC.
