By
Ik Ogbonna
In an era where geopolitical fault lines seem etched deeper than ever—think U.S.-China trade spats, Russia’s shadow over Ukraine, or the Middle East’s endless tinderbox—it’s refreshing, even audacious, to witness a voice from the Global South extending an olive branch. Enter Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, the Nigerian business magnate turned political heavyweight, whose birthday felicitations to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on this very day (November 23) feel less like a diplomatic footnote and more like a clarion call for pragmatic bridge-building.
As the world marks Maduro’s 63rd year, Kalu’s message isn’t just polite pageantry; it’s a bold opinion on why leaders like him must prioritize “stronger global cooperation” over ideological bunkers. And frankly, in my view, he’s spot on—because isolation isn’t sovereignty; it’s self-sabotage.
For the uninitiated, Senator Kalu isn’t some armchair diplomat firing off platitudes from Abuja’s marbled halls. Born in 1960 to a modest Igbo family in Abia State, he bootstrapped his way from palm oil trader to aviation tycoon, founding the SLOK Holding conglomerate that spans airlines, newspapers (like the Daily Sun), and banking. As Abia State’s governor from 1999 to 2007 and now a senator for Abia North under the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kalu embodies Nigeria’s entrepreneurial grit: resilient, controversial, and unapologetically globalist. He’s no stranger to turbulence—facing corruption trials (from which he was acquitted in 2019) and navigating Nigeria’s ethnic tightropes—yet his worldview remains expansively optimistic. That’s what makes his outreach to Maduro so intriguing: it’s not naive idealism but the hard-won wisdom of someone who’s seen empires rise and fall through sheer economic alchemy.
In his personal missive, shared via official channels today, Kalu doesn’t mince words or don rose-tinted glasses. “Dear President Nicolás Maduro Moros,” he begins, “on this special occasion of your birthday, I extend heartfelt congratulations and warm wishes to you and the people of Venezuela.” He invokes their “long-standing friendship” and “cordial relationship,” a nod to the quiet corridors of pan-African and Latin American solidarity that rarely make headlines. But here’s where Kalu pivots from niceties to necessity: “I have always believed that you mean well for the people of Venezuela and remain committed to their progress and dignity.” Yet Kalu presses on, urging engagement: “As the world continues to evolve, I encourage you to engage more openly with global leaders and align Venezuela more closely with the world economy. Such cooperation can open new doors of opportunity for your nation and strengthen international trust.”
Ik Ogbonna is Journalist and PR Practitioner
ikogbonna@gmail.com