2 months ago
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Abians have continued to commend the senator representing Abia North senatorial district, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu’s avowed commitment to stop using his private jet over sympathy with workers on the current hardship facing Nigerians.
A renowned don, Prof. Kalu Eni, has therefore described Kalu as “a shining example of servant-leadership”
Quoting Chinua Achebe’s thought-provoking book, “The Trouble with Nigeria” (1983), which he said, “aptly summarized Nigeria’s post-Independence struggle as a leadership crisis,”
Prof. Eni said, “The trouble with Nigeria is simply a failure of leadership. The Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responsibility, of the challenge of personal example which are hallmarks of true leadership. Nigerians are what they are only because their leaders are not what they should be.”
Eni added, “His (Kalu’s) recent announcement, ‘1Why I stopped using my private jet’ is a breath of fresh air in Nigeria’s political landscape, even though many do not understand the context of his statement. My understanding of his statement is that instead of spending dollars using his private jet to fly around, he should deploy it in generating revenue for his company, and use the money to pay his numerous staff across Nigeria and other West African countries.
“The truth is, he has distinguished himself by embracing servant-leadership and empowering his staff to overcome the harsh economic challenges and hurdles faced by Nigerians. By grounding his private jet, Kalu demonstrates solidarity with workers awaiting resolved salary differentials. This selfless act showcases his commitment to their welfare. He had demonstrated this trait, even during his tenure as the governor of Abia State.
“The salaries of workers, their gratuities, pensions and allowances were a major priority to his administration. Even though I am a diasporan Abian, Senator Kalu’s simplicity and his determination to put the welfare of those around him is extremely impressive. As a former governor of Abia State, Kalu’s leadership style prioritizes people over privilege.”
By cutting personal expenses, he ensures his workers receive fair treatment.
“Kalu’s gesture inspires hope for a better Nigeria, where leaders truly serve the people. Other leaders must emulate Senator Orji Uzor Kalu – whose leadership is based on the principles of taking care of the people. So, the very few uninformed people who have misinterpreted his speech should be properly informed that Senator Orji Uzor Kalu is an honest and compassionate Igbo leader who has invested a lot in developing humanity. His statement was about the welfare of his staff. He taught about cutting down his own cost, to serve his staff better.
“He is an avatar, trailblazer, legend and source of inspiration to his generation. Senator Kalu can be compared to the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, and of course, Lee Kuan Yew. He is an epitome of servant-leadership and a detribalized Nigerian.”
The former governor of Abia State, former Chief Whip of the 9th Senate, and now the Chairman Senate Committee on Privatization, had, while fielding questions from newsmen on Friday, 20th September 2024, published on his official Facebook page his response on the dropping of the use of his private jet, stating that since the 2nd of August, 2024 he hasn’t used the jet for him to sort out some differentials of workers salaries both in Nigeria and West Africa.
He had said in the video, “Thank you very much. Honestly, I have stopped using my private jet since the 2nd of August, 2024 and I want to maintain that until we can sort out the differential of the workers’ salaries in Nigeria and in West Africa, because of buying fuel and all the rest of them. I don’t need to explain to you my dear, but for now, I have grounded the private jet to (enable it) do some other business for oil companies and I want to maintain it that way. There are commercial planes that are on schedule and I will use them to the glory of God.”
