By Abdul Mohammed Lawal.
There is a certain weight that follows anyone who carries Nigeria in them without holding back. It is a kind of loyalty that is bright enough to see the whole nation, yet heavy enough to attract resentment from those who expect you to think only of your side. In Nigeria, where identity is often louder than vision, being “too” Nigerian can come with a personal price. It demands courage, sacrifice, and a willingness to stand alone when the crowd prefers a narrower path. Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (OUK) is one of the few public figures from the South East who has carried this burden openly, even when coming from there makes it costly.
This commitment to a united and thriving Nigeria has followed him through business, politics, and leadership. It has also influenced the decisions he made as governor, the alliances he formed, and the ideas he still stands for today.
The South East carries its own rich and proud history. It is a region where memory defines identity, and where every public action is often weighed against past injustices. Because of this, anyone who appears “too” Nigerian is quickly viewed with suspicion. Many people expect their leaders to speak with only one voice: the voice of the region. Anything wider is questioned. Anything national is sometimes misread as compromise. In such an atmosphere, standing above the divides is not an easy choice. Yet OUK chose that path early.
He built relationships across Nigeria when it was not fashionable. He spoke of unity when the feeling in the air leaned towards withdrawal. He defended the idea of one country even when many around him felt the country had not defended them. While others narrowed their focus, he saw Nigeria as a house worth repairing, not abandoning. And he carried that belief without hiding it.
When Senator Orji Uzor Kalu became Governor of Abia State, he did not come with the usual short-term mindset that many state leaders carried. He came with a blueprint that looked beyond four or eight years. His approach was built around structure, long-term planning, and a belief that the government should outlive personalities. This thinking placed him far ahead of his time.
Many of the policies he introduced across infrastructure, public service discipline, fiscal management, and human development still stand as reference points today. Some have been kept almost in their original form. Others have been borrowed quietly, repackaged, or renamed by leaders who saw their value long after he left office. And a number of them now appear in national policy discussions, offered as fresh ideas even though their roots trace back to his era in Abia. His thinking was similar to the style seen in Lagos under His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, with a shared belief in building systems alongside projects; building people, not just offices; and laying foundations that future administrations can deepen.
Only a few Nigerian leaders have tried to build governance as a lasting institution. In that group, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu carried the flag for the South East from 1999 to 2007, thinking in ways that few of his contemporaries could match. He may not always receive the credit he deserves, yet his Abia blueprint continues to speak for him in the quiet language of enduring relevance.
One of OUK’s strongest gifts is his ability to see potential in people long before others notice it. Many political leaders focus only on their own rise, but he was different. He built men as carefully as he built structures. He gave opportunities, opened doors, and allowed people to grow under his guidance. He believed that no system can survive without people who understand how that system works. So he invested in individuals. He taught them. He empowered them. He trusted them with responsibility. Some stayed loyal; others followed their own paths. But wherever they went, they carried something from his school of leadership.
He created procedures, strengthened institutions, and insisted on order. He believed in public administration that functions whether he is present or not. This is why some of the structures he established still stand today, even after passing through different administrations. Others have been modified, repurposed, or claimed by those who did not originate them. Yet the foundation remains his.
But here’s one thing: for every great vision in Nigerian politics, there must be a supportive environment to protect it. Senator Orji Uzor Kalu never enjoyed such a shield. His wide-hearted approach to leadership exposed him to betrayals that weakened the foundation he was trying to build. Many of the people he empowered later turned against him. Some fought him openly; others worked quietly to undermine the systems he left behind. Instead of strengthening the vision, they distanced themselves from it, and in doing so, the progressive political structure he tried to create in Abia could not mature.
He had a mind big enough to build a model similar to the Lagos success story. He had the courage. He had the structure in his head. What he lacked was the kind of political soil that nourishes such seeds until they grow into forests. Senator Orji Uzor Kalu operated in an environment where growth was often interrupted, loyalties were unpredictable, and regional expectations limited the space for national thinking.
The challenge was not his capacity. His ideas were sound. His intentions were clear, but ideas alone are not enough. It needed the stability in the character that Lagos had. So one cannot help but wonder:
What if Senator Orji Uzor Kalu had come from the South West? What if a mind like his had been raised in the same political environment that produced Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief M. K. O. Abiola, and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu? What if his courage, innovation, and national outlook had matured under a culture that rewards consistency and protects its builders?
Nigeria might have experienced something rare; two thinkers of Asiwaju’s mould from one region in one era. It would have been like having an Awolowo and an Abiola in the same Republic: two powerful minds, each with a clear blueprint, each with strong structures, each able to shape the future beyond their own tenures. It would have been a cooperation story of two South Westerners, Senator Bola Tinubu and Senator Orji.
What a story!
OUK may not be perfect in all his dealings; no leader is. He made decisions that drew criticism, and he walked paths that others might have avoided. He refused to shrink into ethnic corners. He refused to let bitterness write his script. He held firmly to the belief that Nigeria must remain a single house, even if the rooms sometimes disagreed. The South East must realise that they need more people like Distinguished Senator Orji Uzor Kalu to bridge its national barriers.
This is the story of a man who chose nationhood above tribe and religion. A man who paid for it in ways many may never fully understand. A man whose political philosophy remains one of the most misunderstood, yet one of the most far-reaching in contemporary Nigeria.
I wonder how he speaks of Nigeria with ease, comfort, and conviction, almost as if he was born into every tribe, and every tribe was born into him. But, like he would always say:
“Never forget to let the Nigeria in you speak at all times.”
