A former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor-Kalu, has said it is not advisable for Nigeria to return to the era of paying a subsidy for petroleum products imported into the country, insisting that the subsidy was a scam.

Kalu, who is the senator representing the Abia North senatorial zone in the Senate, spoke in his Igbere country home on Tuesday, adding that the Federal Government can subsidise agriculture and food to reduce the effect of subsidy removal on Nigerians.

He said President Bola Tinubu has been working tirelessly to pull people out of poverty, adding that the economy of Nigeria will soon be stable because of the economic policies of the president.

He said, “President Tinubu has done very well in the last two years. I’m not playing politics, and I’m talking about revamping the economy, so let us come together and support the President to rebuild our economy.

“I’ve spoken seriously about the economy and getting it back on track on several forums, but this is a task that requires all hands on desk to accomplish. At the top, the economy is doing well, but it needs time to trickle down to the common man.

“But it will take time to get back on track because of the worldwide inflation. The effects of COVID are still with us, which might take up 10 to 15 years to pull out. I can assure you that President Bola Tinubu is working tirelessly to pull people out of poverty.

“I’m not a part of the President’s economic team, and I’m not saying this because I’m a member of the APC but as a citizen of Nigeria. The President knows people are hungry, and he is working to ensure the country is pulled out of hunger. 

“A few things we have been able to get back are the stabilisation of the exchange rate of foreign currency in the past 9 months.

“Should we depend on petroleum subsidy again? No. We can subsidise food and others, but in petroleum, it was a very big scam.

“In the next two to three years, the economy will be stabilised. I know people are suffering, I pay people, I produce things, and I know the quantity I manufacture and what I sell. No president in the world wants to punish the people, but every president wants to ameliorate the suffering of the people”.

Speaking on the accolades from Governor Alex Otti, Kalu said that during his time as governor, his target was to build Aba to use the resources to build other places, and that’s what he did.

“There’s nowhere in Africa that people do not know Aba and Enyimba City, and that starts with securing the people. I created the Bakassi Boys, and they worked with the police and DSS to secure the place. This shows the people who said we didn’t do anything in the state. I laid the foundation and worked with a template to build the Aba and Umuahia added with Ohambele.

“My visit to Otti is very private. I’m the oldest governor of Abia State. I have the right to go to Governor Alex Otti. My discussion with him is about the state. I’m building 5 factories in Igbere, which will take off in the next one year, and before long, it will start processing, so I need peace and unity in this place.

“I’m APC to the core, and I’ve said that I’ll pull the trigger for the party. APC should work hard to deliver the party in the state and federal and we are committed to that.

“I’m a high-ranking member of the APC; to suspend me in the party, you will have to go to NEC. So we need to make the APC win in other places. Politics is not all about carrying crowd, because young men who are in politics to make money are making noise. We don’t do that. I’ve been in business for 40 years, and I’ve the track record,” he said.

Kalu also urged Nigerians to join hands to build a strong nation for future generations to come, insisting that nation-building cannot be achieved overnight.

He said, “Our duty is to Nigeria and to work for the country. We have done well. I have been fortunate to be in a few African countries and those institutions. People criticise our judiciary, but we have one of the best and strongest judiciaries in Africa.

“They criticise our journalism, but we have one of the best. In all, we are building a strong democracy. Democracy is not a job you do in a day or hour.”