Abia at 35: Orji Kalu has put Abia in the national conversation – Chidoka

Former Aviation Minister, Osita Chidoka, has described the administration of former Abia State Governor, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, as a defining period in the political history of the state, saying Kalu put Abia firmly in the national conversation and made the state punch above its weight.

Chidoka also noted that the momentum seen during the Kalu era faded after he left office, with infrastructure deteriorating and Abia’s national standing declining in subsequent years.

The former minister said Kalu understood the political realities that faced Abia State and the South East at the onset of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic and provided the assertive and visible leadership required at the time.

Chidoka, who was a guest speaker at the 35th anniversary celebration of Abia State, said this while reflecting on critical moments in the history of the State and the role of leadership in shaping its development and national standing.

“At the onset of the Fourth Republic, the South East was searching for voice and relevance in the new democratic order. Orji Uzor Kalu understood that moment. Young, assertive and politically visible, he put Abia firmly in the national conversation. Abia punched above his weight,” Chidoka said.

His remarks offered a positive assessment of Kalu’s eight-year tenure as governor, particularly his ability to give Abia a strong voice and notable visibility nationwide during the formative years of the Fourth Republic.

Kalu, who took office in 1999, quickly became one of the country’s most visible governors and an influential voice on national issues. His political engagement extended beyond Abia, helping to draw attention to the state and the concerns of the South East at a time when, according to Chidoka, the region was searching for a voice and relevance in the emerging democratic order.

Chidoka contrasted the Kalu era with the next, pointing out that the momentum eventually faded after Kalu’s tenure. He said infrastructure has deteriorated, the state’s national standing has declined and Aba appears to be increasingly successful despite the government rather than because of it.

“With time, that moment faded. Infrastructure deteriorated, the state’s national standing declined, and Aba increasingly seemed to succeed despite the government rather than because of it,” Chidoka said.

The former minister’s assessment effectively placed the post-Kalu era decline against the prominence Abia enjoyed at the start of the Fourth Republic, when, in his words, the state “punched above its weight” and was firmly entrenched in the national debate.

He said the subsequent decline has created another defining moment for Abia, adding that Governor Alex Otti appears to have understood the current opportunity to restore trust in government, rebuild infrastructure and recover the state’s sense of possibility.

“Alex Otti seems to have understood this: it is a moment to restore trust in government, rebuild infrastructure and recover Abia’s sense of possibility,” he said.

Chidoka further argued that the debate about strong leaders and strong institutions should not necessarily present the two as alternatives, stressing that societies at critical junctures require leaders capable of building institutions that ultimately become stronger than their founders.

“We often say that Africa needs strong institutions, not strong men. I agree that no society should depend indefinitely on one individual. But who creates strong institutions when the institutions themselves are weak?

“Before there were the Ten Commandments, there was Moses.

“My thesis is that the real choice is not between strong leaders and strong institutions. At critical moments, societies need leaders with the ability to build institutions that ultimately become stronger than their founders.

“The strong man makes himself indispensable. The strong leader builds a system that can ultimately function without him,” Chidoka said.

He said the challenge before Abia is to ensure that the current opportunity for renewal goes beyond a single administration and develops into an enduring standard for governance and development.

“Can the current Abia moment become the permanent Abia standard?” he asked.

Kalu governed Abia State from 1999 to 2007 and currently represents Abia North Senatorial District in the Senate.