STAR FROM THE EAST AND THE BURDEN WITHIN

 Dele Olowu urges Ben Kalu, deputy speaker House of Reps to address the burdens which challenge his people

 At 52, Benjamin Kalu, Deputy Speaker Of the House of Representatives might fool many with the impression that he has landed his current political apotheosis in his playground clothes . However, he is a sober political worker and his ascendancy has been the result of steady but cumulative steps, some of them , the result of precocious giant leaps and the decisive acts of faith, all of which have turned him into the most ranking parliamentary power amongst the Igbos today. Given the force with which the Ben Kalu political dynamic has unfurled, it is something of a surprise that it remained in harness for this long. No matter how carefully he concealed other layers of his persona, his political gifts did not remain completely disguised. As a matter of fact, they came out somewhat precociously, when at the age of 23, he served as a student representative for the University of Calabar where he studied for five years and bagged a degree in law. He also earned an MBA from Oxford Brooks University in the UK. At 31, he attained the distinction of being the youngest Local Government Chairman in Bende Abia State.

Before becoming the Governor’s Special Adviser on Millennium Development Goals and international Relations at the age of 35, he served as Senior Special Adviser to the then Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu on Local government and chieftain affairs when he was aged 34. As one of those now faced with the huge challenge of retooling the APC to give it more traction in the south east, it is perhaps just as well, that Hon. Kalu’s career has not been gripped or defaced by that kind of triumphalism which cultivates the Superman syndrome. His life experience has fortunately been a healthy mixed bag of defeats and triumphs; of setbacks and then the surge towards a better tomorrow. For example In the primary elections of 2002, Kalu lost to Mbah Ajah. He would suffer two more electoral setbacks in 2011 and 2015, before he would finally make electoral hay when in 2019, Kanu standing for the APC, overwhelmed Chima Anyaso of the Peoples Democratic Party to represent the Bende Federal constituency in the House of Representatives. Kanu’s tenure in the House of Representatives invested him with an arresting political voice, earning him pendency as Spokesman for the house and making him head of the House committee on the media . He surprisingly gained rapid recognition as a Gbajabiamila man and some now point at this factor as having weighed heavily in enabling him get elected as Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives.

However the Ben Kalu party can point to worthy initiatives which the Bende representative brought to the House. Indeed the first motion of the Ninth House of Representatives was moved by Hon. Ben Kalu, even while serving as a first timer. This legislative “impudence” must have caught many by surprise and certainly marked him out for higher things. He raised the highest number of bills amongst first timers and also ahead of all legislators from the South East. Among.Ben Kalu’s emergence as Deputy Speaker in the House of Representatives is certainly recompense for his obvious merits, and arguably, a response to the demands of Nigeria’s realpolitik. Whatever it is, as a pioneer caucus leader of the Abia State APC Chief Sam Nkire wisely observes in a widely reported statement, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives has the capacity and goodwill to unite the APC in Abia State and improve the fortunes of the party in the south east zone working in concert with the Governors . Hon Ben Kalu’s position is political but they are those who suggest that his mandate is beyond politics and must now also include the Destiny of the Igbos in the Nigerian space.

The infrastructure deficit in Nigeria is a huge source of disgruntlement. However even though the construction of the second Niger Bridge appears to be turning the tide, infrastructure remains poor and squalid in the south east. Voices from the east must be raised and Ben Kalu’s would be a useful addition. It is also important to produce a robust redress to the psychological dereliction caused by the promoters of violence and separatism in the south east. Some of these agencies, spew virulence on the political space and give the impression that every citizen in the east is either an arsonist or a violent separatist. Yet there is an ample outlay of people who think differently. These voices including even Nnamdi Kanu deserve to be heard. Political incumbents including Hon Ben Kalu must now arrange to enable a plurality of voices flourish in the south east as freely as it does in other parts of Nigeria.

The imperative for peace must be addressed by all as a strategic burden. Ultimately Kalu’s immediate challenge must be with the state of the APC in the south east. The presence of the APC in the east has been rather fragile and Hon Ben Kalu must along with other leaders in the jurisdiction mobilize the south east to embrace the APC. Abia State has presented a case of continuing incoherence and would require special diligence to experience political healing. Hon. Ben Kalu comes to the big stage with huge credentials. He is known for unchanging solidarity; for serving good causes and for upholding consensual principles. These qualities will now be required if Ben Kaku must lead the charge to give APC a new lease of life in the south east. Hon Kalu described by some as the new star in the east, must address the burdens which challenge his people.

 Olowu is a Veteran Journalist