Senator Theodore Orji: Philanthropy is My Way of Life

His humility, strong character, passion for the less-privileged and love for quality education are some of the defined qualities of the former governor of Abia State and two-term lawmaker representing Abia Central Senatorial zone at the National Assembly, Senator Theodore Orji. In this interview with Charles Ajunwa, Chiemelie Ezeobi and Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo, Senator Orji gives insight into his annual scholarship project, special operations for the blind, politics, family life, amongst others 

To start off, please tell us what gave birth to this laudable initiative named the Theodore Orji Foundation. This is your sixth year. What influenced your decision to start this?

It is my passion to impact people, especially the youth, that brought about the scholarship scheme. I’ve grown to know that innovation is the best empowerment you can give to any person. If I wasn’t empowered educationally I don’t think I’d reach this height now in this world. Therefore, I want people, especially youth, to ascend to the apex of their ambition. 

And the easiest and surest way for them to do it is through education. That’s why I embarked on this project so we can help to uplift those who don’t have the resources to train themselves or to be trained to become something in life. When somebody is trained or educated, he is disciplined and he knows how to handle affairs in the world, in his family, and everywhere. From history, you also know that education is the greatest empowerment you can give to any human being. That’s why I like it and I’m doing it. 

So how do you hope to sustain this going forward as this is your sixth year?

Yes I’ve done this for five years; this is the sixth. I said it before that even when I retire – I’ll retire in 2023 – my children are already taking up the legacy. They will sustain it for me. I have children who are also passionate about what I’m doing. This last one that we did now which I know what it costs us, all my children were involved. The speaker was involved. My daughter, who is not here, was involved. My children, Chinedum, Ugonna, Chiemeka and Chika, then Nneoma and my wife were part of it. They all contributed and then my friends and relatives put in to make sure this became a success. And today you see it was a very big success and we hope that next year will be better. As the year is progressing it will be better. That’s what I believe.

Beyond this, I’m aware of the series of projects you have going on. Could you please give us a quick rundown of the widows, youth, buildings, and all?

The one I won’t fail to mention is the eye centre that I have. I have a hospital where I have an ophthalmologist I trained, who is competent and restores people’s sight. He has successfully treated the blind suffering from untreated cataract. The last woman here is from Ugbakala. You published the one Charlie wrote about. 

There’s another one of a young school girl who was blind. Her sight was also restored. I like anything concerning health. We are expanding it to diabetes and other diseases then empowerment or consistency projects. There are so many. In every local government area of my constituency, you’ll see visible things I’ve done in terms of hospitals, schools, especially water, electricity, and roads in terms of ordinary empowerment. 

We do empowerment here whereby things that will make you sustain your life. You buy tricycles, cars, sewing machines and all these things you can use to cater for yourself and give them to people for free. We do it almost once in six months and the people appreciate it. So for people of my constituency, I have done very well for them. If you ask them, they will also tell you they have benefited from it. 

We train them, send them to Kwara to learn cassava and other skills that will make them valuable in life. We also give them money, not only training. When they come back, we find some money, give them and tell them to start off with this seed money and see how it progresses. 

Those of them who are bright, lucky, and resourceful are doing very well today. It gives me joy when they come to share their success stories. I think that’s the essence of governance – to touch lives in a way they’ll remember. Like the one we did today, all these students that are empowered today will remember you forever, most of them will be something in life. 

Majority of them will be something in life and when they start tracing their history they’ll trace it one way or the other to me. I’ll be happy about that. I’m happy and satisfied when I do some of these things. Although I won’t cover it all, I just do my part, and get satisfied. I know God is happy with me, so I relax.

When you were talking, you mentioned that beyond 2023 you’re not interested, that you’re retiring. So why are you still doing what you’re doing (philanthropy) despite not having any future political ambition?

It is my passion to impact people, especially the youth, that brought about the scholarship scheme. I’ve grown to know that innovation is the best empowerment you can give to any person. If I wasn’t empowered educationally I don’t think I’d reach this height now in this world. Therefore, I want people, especially youth, to ascend to the apex of their ambition. 

And the easiest and surest way for them to do it is through education. That’s why I embarked on this project so we can help to uplift those who don’t have the resources to train themselves or to be trained to become something in life. When somebody is trained or educated, he is disciplined and he knows how to handle affairs in the world, in his family, and everywhere. From history, you also know that education is the greatest empowerment you can give to any human being. That’s why I like it and I’m doing it.

Beside, it’s my passion to continue touching lives. 2023, I’ve said I’ll make way for the younger generation to ascend. I can’t be a senator for life. So I’ll make way now so somebody else will fit my shoes and represent Abia Central. I’ll support the person very well. Life is like a stage; when you come, you play your part and go, then another person will come and play. You can’t be a permanent actor or else people will get tired of you. I decided long ago that by 2023 I’ll retire from active politics.”

Sir, that’s quite serious given that we have some lifetime senators that don’t want to leave. You’re on your own volition. You’re saying you’ll step aside so what next? What’s it for?

What you make out of life, the way you make your bed so you’ll lie on it. I have many things I’ll do: I’ll go to the farm, produce food for people, there are other things but farming. I’m not a businessman. I’ve not done business before so I’ll not tell you I’ll go into business, no. It’s farming I’ll face then I’ll stay here and tutor and mentor people. When you mentor somebody he becomes something you’ve mentored yourself. If he’s a good man he won’t forget you and he won’t allow you to suffer. I’ll sit here and you’ll see them come and look after me. They’re doing it right now when I’ve not retired. So when I retire I believe I’ve got a lot of people who will take care of me in my old age. I’m not talking about my children, they are capable of doing that but these are people I’ve helped. I don’t have that bogus ambition; 2023 I’ll go into my farm.

One of the issues affecting the youth of the South-east is drug abuse. What’s your advice to the youth and what do you think should be done to curb the importation of Mkpurumiri and then tackle the menace?

The first thing we should do is make sure those drugs don’t enter the country by encouraging Maruwa (NDLEA Boss) in what he’s doing so that drugs won’t flow into Nigeria. It’s difficult to stop it outright but you’ll make sure it doesn’t come in. If it comes in, it’ll be very minimal. 

When the drugs don’t come in, our youth won’t see drugs to take. But we advise these boys and girls on scholarship if you reach them they won’t involve themselves in that kind of thing and start behaving like lunatics. Who would like to be a mad man? Nobody. You’ve gone to the university to face education. Get the education first, get the certificate even if you don’t get job immediately, the job will come one day. You don’t go there and start involving yourself in other drugs that’ll be injurious and harmful to your health. You may take it and not notice the effects, but the after effects is what you’ll suffer. 

So I follow in advising these children, these young ones to try to avoid anything drug, cult. Let them be on their own. You can do that in the university without anything happening to you. Some of these people taking drugs are people who are perpetual students. They don’t pass exams. Every year they repeat because they’re involved in drugs and cultism. So, every reasonable person, I believe those I gave scholarships today and those I’ve given are reasonable people because I’ve not heard any of them get involved in this kind of thing. And they’ll keep it up.

Back to the scholarship, can the foundation give the bright ones, who   apply again for another scholarship, a second slot?

Of course, it’s open for anyone at any time. Once you’re qualified, we give you and once you meet the criteria for our scholarship. We have set down rules. Once you follow the rules and get it, we’ll give you. So we don’t discriminate. We don’t say you’ve gotten before. It’s for every person, every year. So if you’ve gotten this year and the money isn’t enough for you, apply next year. If you qualify, we will give you. 

One of your bills scaled the first reading so can you tell us more about this important bill?

The bills are so many that at times I don’t know where to start from. That one has sailed through the first reading. We are waiting for the second reading. When it comes, it’ll make it open for those who don’t know about it to become aware.

So what of other bills?

My bills are so many but the one that’s significant that brought us to limelight is the bill on the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). We did that bill when we didn’t think that COVID or any other disease would be in place. Because at that time, NCDC wasn’t strong; it had no freedom.

 Those who were working there were not well protected by the law in terms of security or freedom and they couldn’t compete fervently with their counterparts in the world. They had no legal backing. So what we did was to give them the legal backing so that first and foremost they’ll be independent, secondly they can compete with their counterparts and get those things internationally that we can get through NCDC.

And today you see what they’ve done and what they’re doing. We did it as if we knew COVID-19 was coming to prepare them. When COVID-19 came, they were able to tackle it. If it wasn’t in place, it’d have been difficult for them to cope. But I’m happy that God gave us the wisdom to pursue the bill and get it signed into law and today it’s working effectively.

When you retire in 2023, what kind of person will you like to step into your shoes?

I’d like a person who is resourceful, who will start from where I stopped because I won’t say I’ve achieved everything – a person who will add to what I’ve achieved in Abia Central. 

In terms of bill, projects, touching the people, somebody who will do more than I did. Situations change everyday. How it is today may not be how it will be tomorrow. So I want a person who is resourceful, who loves his people and a person who also is loved by the people. The people have to love you first to vote for you to go to the senate. You must be loved and show love and when you go there you have to perform. That’s the kind of person I want to replace me.

Most governors that went to the senate just retired. They just go there to sleep and come home at the end of the day.

When you emerged as most resourceful senator, what prepared you for that in terms of presentation of bills and other things? 

That will show you that the governors who retire and go to the senate are not wasteful, that the governors who retire and go to the senate have focus. That’s to show that the governors are no more governors and went to the senate have a purpose of going to the senate to impact the people. Yes of course after being a governor you go to the senate it’s a different scenario. When you’re a governor you don’t deal with bills, you just sign. But here you have to start presenting bills. It’s not easy you become a lawyer overnight, present the bill, pursue it until it is passed into law. It has a lot of process. 

And you see most of the ex-governors that are in the senate are doing very well. Fortunately, journalists have been assessing us, not we assessing ourselves. They’ve been giving us marks. Like this year, for senator of the year in Abia State and Senator of the year, we were three. So also we have some governors who are Senators of the year in their own state even at the national level. We are not doing badly so if they say that governors go to the senate to retire to sleep, it’s not correct at all. Ex governors who go to the senate don’t go there to sleep, but to work for their people.