The former governor of Abia state, Orji Uzor Kalu, in
reaction to the ongoing Biafra protests in parts of the
country, was quoted to have said that if he was the
commander-in-chief, and one of his soldiers was killed,
he would kill everybody.
Kalu, who spoke to newsmen on Sunday, December 6, at
the Abuja airport, said the pro-Biafra protesters have the
legal right to self-determination, but condemned the
manner in which it has been done.
The former governor advised the federal government to
talk with the pro-Biafra protesters and put an end to the
agitation. He also gave some advice to the government
on steps to be taken to halt the protests.
Below is the full speech:
“Those boys are right, they have a right to demonstrate, but
not violent demonstration, not killing soldiers because if I
am a Commander- in -Chief, and you kill one of my soldiers,
I will kill everybody. You cannot kill soldiers. You cannot
kill police. You have a right to say no, we want our own
Republic.
“The United Nations charter gives them the right to ask for
self-determination. It is not a right of determination to go
and destroy people’s properties, to go and destroy Nigerian
Armed Forces, whether it is Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy or
Nigerian Police. These are not the rights. They have the
right to speak for self-determination. This is the full right.
“If I am president, I will set up either traditional rulers and
some political leaders to go and ask the boys what they
really want, what is really their problem, what can be done
to stop them from asking for this. This is how Boko Haram
started killing members of Catholic Church, and as a
Catholic, I spoke vehemently against it. I told you airport
correspondents that they will finish killing the Catholic and
will go and start killing everybody and it happened.
“When kidnapping just started, then I was governor, they
were kidnapping white people and I spoke out. I said when
they finished kidnapping white people and there were no
more white man to kidnap, they would start kidnapping us
and that is what is happening in the country today.
“So, I will advise the federal government. This is a
federation, you need to manage the federation. Some people
must ask for self-determination. It is the management of the
people that matters. President Buhari, as a matter of fact,
should set out traditional rulers, set out people, set out
securities and intelligent agencies to intervene.
“They should be more intelligent than policemen or military
people carrying guns. They should find a way and tell the
boys that what they are doing is not the right thing to do.
So, it is left for the federal government. This is the right
time to nip the agitation in the bud, but not by force. It is a
wrong strategy hearing people saying that we will quench it
by force. We cannot quench anything by force because it is
their right to ask for self- determination.
“But is it the right thing to do in a bigger country like ours?
It is only a president that doesn’t know what he wants that
will want a section of his country to go. I think negotiation
is part of democracy,” Kalu said.
Speaking also on infrastructure, especially the condition
of some federal roads, Kalu said: “I have seen your Enugu-
Port Harcourt, Aba-Umahia express road that have not been
built. I will build it in two years. I have seen your Awka-
Onitsha express way that is not built. I will build it in two
years. I have seen that your Umuahia-Ohafia to Aruchukuwu
to Cross River express way is not built. I will do it. I have
seen that your Arondizuogu-Okigwe express way is not
done. I will do it.
“I have seen your Enugu to Makurdi express way is bad.
People are dying there every day, which was what I
quarreled with the government over it in 2001. I said our
roads are bad. Federal roads are very bad and they are
taking it for granted. Check what I have said ten years ago,
they are recurring today and the government is still playing
with it.
People are still doing politics with it.”
Kalu, who is the chairman of SLOK Holding and the Daily
Sun and New Telegraph newspapers, was the governor
gof Abia state, from May 29, 1999, to May 29, 2007. He
recently indicated his interest to contest for the FIFA
presidency but later backed out of the race after
reportedly enjoying the support of Sepp Blatter.
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