Orji Uzor Kalu, the Senate Chief Whip, has responded to mounting calls for a fundamental reconstruction of the polity by emphasizing that such a mandate requires revisions.
This was clarified by Kalu on Thursday during an interview on AriseTV, which was broadcast live by Ripples Nigeria, in which he also stated that the matter of restructuring was not a pressing priority for him.
The processes needed in restructuring a complex country like Nigeria, according to the former governor of Abia State, demand patience and active participation of the National Assembly.
“We cannot restructure without the NASS. We cannot just wake up and say we want to restructure without the necessary amendments and the NASS is important in this matter. I know the country needs adjustments and we are going to look at this in order for the country to be viable,” Kalu said.
He also stated that he supports the establishment of a state policing system with adequate checks and balances to prevent abuse by state governors who must “put their feet down in order to tackle the scourge in order to complement the Federal Government’s efforts” in combating insecurity and terrorism across the country.
“I have always believed that we should have state police and I disagree with President Muhammadu Buhari on that. We need to entrench it via the NASS but it requires checks and balances. If there are not enough Checks and Balances, the Governors might also be tyrannical especially with respect to the Local Government Areas but overall, the state police is good.
“Also, most of these governors are not holistic in their approach by refusing to engage stakeholders on the issue of policing. They should do due diligence on security issues.
“Buhari has done very well and I will rate his administration very highly because the country might have been divided without his ascension as the President even in tackling terrorism.
“We lack adequate security resources; it is about the governors putting their feet down in order to tackle the scourge in order to complement the efforts of the Federal Government. I am pleading with the governors because the efforts are on them to secure their respective states; it is not PMB that is going to always bail states out. I disagree with some policies, of course, but he has done well.”
In response to inquiries about what he would anticipate if he were elected President of Nigeria, Kalu listed three basic mandates that would help the country get back on track.
“When I was the governor of Abia, Aba was inhospitable and my first priority will be to free Nigerians from terrorism which will enable them to move freely within the borders of the country; securing the lives and properties of our people. This was what I did when I was the Governor of Abia State. I also gave Anambra State my security roadmap in order to secure Onitsha from these criminals.
“Second, I will give Nigerians the confidence to be a Nigerian. We have lost confidence in where we are coming from.
“Third. To restore electricity to Nigerians; everything else will follow if we adhere to these primary blueprints. I will create an economic miracle for our people.
“I am well prepared and not scared of any critics; the most important thing is the unity of the country. I have never been involved in any illegal business.”
