Abia North Senator and former Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently deploy means of succour to cushion the sufferings Nigerians are going through as a result of harsh economic policies.
Senator Kalu who spoke at a press briefing at the National Assembly this Tuesday, blamed the hardship and pains Nigerians have been experiencing on the policies introduced by the Bola Tinubu.
Kalu administration.
The former Abia State Governor, while describing the fuel subsidy removal by President Tinubu as a bold and necessary move, however lamented the economic hardship it has brought on all Nigerians and stressed the need for the impact to be properly managed.
“The hardship is real; people are suffering. We manage about 10,000 workers in our group, and ensuring they are paid in this difficult time is a challenge,” Kalu said.
He added that his organization has also been forced to introduce some cost-saving measures due to the rising cost of things occasioned by the economic outlook in the country.
“If I fly anywhere, maintaining and fuelling a private plane costs between $10,000 and $20,000. I had to tell senior members of my company to fly commercially so we could save money to restructure and support our workers across Nigeria and West Africa.
Everyone must be able to eat in this time of hardship,” Kalu added.
The former Governor noted that though President Tinubu has demonstrated strong political will by initiating economic reforms that no other leader has dared to do in the last sixty years, the current hardship calls for quicker relief measures.
Kalu also suggested that the President might consider bringing back the fuel subsidy regime.
On his absence from the media space recently Senator Kalu described the rumours of his death as a figment of imagination of the peddlers, revealing that he officially took time off to make some academic pursuits.
“There was nothing wrong with me. I took permission from the Senate President about seven days before the Senate went on recess. I enrolled in a course on democracy and the economy at a university, which I paid for myself.
“I didn’t die; I didn’t go for a medical check-up. But if people say I’ve died, we give thanks to God,” the popular former Abia Governor added.
