Economic hardship: Intervene Quickly, Orji Uzor Kalu tells Tinubu

Former Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC Abia North), declared in Abuja Tuesday that the economic hardship in the country has reached a critical stage requiring urgent intervention from President Bola Tinubu.

Senator Kalu who stated this while fielding questions from journalists before commencement of Senate ‘s plenary, said the economic hardship in the country has hit all Nigerians regardless of social status including himself, which according to him, led to stoppage of usage of private jets in his company.

“Hardship is true, people are suffering. We have hundreds of thousands of workers, we have about 10,000 workers in our group that we run.

“We need to pay those salaries. If I fly at any time, buying fuel and maintaining the private plane takes almost $10,000, $20,000.

“Even in my village, everywhere I go, companies, everybody, there is hardship, but I appeal to the federal government, the President to know how he can bring succor quickly to the people of Nigeria.

“He has to do something not yesterday, but today. He must do something like yesterday because the condition of the Nigerian people is not too good. I believe that no president in the world elected by people would want his people to suffer.

“I called our senior members in the group and said when I have to make my sacrifices it is not for the federal government, it is for the good of the company.

“So I said fly no more, fly commercial and saved the money for restructuring our workers both in Nigeria and West Africa so that everybody must feed in this time of hardship.

He however, commended President Tinubu for the courageous economic reforms being carried out for the benefit of all Nigerians in future.

“The reformation going on now has not happened in the last 60 years, no president dared to do what President Tinubu is doing now. It is about courage.

“The man is very courageous. Possibly if I’m president what he is doing now to reform the economy, I won’t do it, I might come slowly,” he said.

On last Saturday’s gubernatorial election in Edo state, Senator Kalu said the All Progressives Congress (APC), worked hard for it and won it.

“The national chairman, the national secretary, and members of the NWC, and including the senators, have worked so hard for Edo and I believe that whoever works hard for the election deserves to win.

“The election is about numbers, when you have the numbers on the ground, you win. When you don’t have the numbers you don’t win. INEC has declared the winner and he (Okpebholo) deserve the victory, because it is the most organised party, in terms of togetherness,” he said .