2019: UNDERSTANDING WHY SENATOR T.A ORJI SHOULD BE RE-ELECTED (Pt 1)
BY
Comr.Paul Ikechukwu Njoku
Senator Theodore Ahamefule Orji, is the current Senator representing Abia Central Senatorial District at the Upper Legislative Chamber of the National Assembly. Prior to his timely Senatorial status, he was the executive governor of Abia State from 2007-2015. Before then, he was Chief of Staff to his immediate predecessor , Chief Dr.Orji Uzor Kalu. His steady rise was smooth until he met a brick wall during his reign as governor.
When he became the executive governor of Abia State in 2007, he was expected to continue in the footstep of governor Orji Uzor Kalu’s administration of impunity where the people were at the mercy of Kalu’s mother who wielded enormous powers that so many Abians thought she was the governor. Her influence in Abia State government was so pronounced and disturbing that the terms “Mamacracy”, “Mother Excellency” and such other irrational nomenclatures were invented and infamously became part of Abia State political lexicon. The singular factor that Orji Uzor Kalu was being “prosecuted” by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) today for an alleged fraud of N3.2bn involving the State’s money is an example of how Abia was run like a pub and a State under siege during Kalu’s era.
Abia State was considered a conquered territory by the Kalus. Every Abian particularly the government appointees were expected to be servile to him and his mother. There were consequences for those who tried to be themselves. It is a known fact that Abia people experienced a very strange and deviant variant of democracy known as “Mamacracy” which was the system that was choking Abians and leaving them asphyxiated.
When T.A Orji came into office as a governor, he thought it was time to terminate the political brigandage and executive recklessness that had become the order of the day in the State. He knew the enormous financial and political powers which the Kalus wielded. To rescue Abians from their grip even when they were out from government house was a risky and inevitable task. He knew that Abia would not survive another 8 years of such rascality as he was supposed to continue as an appendage and lackey of his predecessor. This much was confirmed by Mr. Eze Chikamnayo who was the then Special Adviser on Information, Strategy and Civic Orientation to T.A Orji when he was the governor. Hear him:
“By 2010, immediately after the victory of the PPA at the appeal court, the Orji Kalu clan moved in to quickly implement the next phrase of the vicious hidden agenda of their dynasty. Having used the admirable image and good name associated with T.A Orji to cross the chasm of the 2007 election, they decided it was time for him to give way.”
Also, Bar.Uche Ihediuwa said:
“The crux of Kalu’s pain is the fact that he and members of his family no longer determine who gets what, when and how in Abia State. Ask any Abian the meaning of “Mamacracy” that crept into Abia State lexicon and he would define it as a government by a mother and her children for the benefit of themselves, their relations and friends”.
T.A Orji, as a man of good conscience knew things could no longer continue like and thus had to do something by saving Abia people through the termination of all the shenanigans put up by the Kalu’s dynasty who fought back viciously using their media outfits to attempt denigrating and distracting T.A Orji’s giant strides and goodwill by pouring unprintable vituperations on him but yet he (Ochendu) could not budge as the progress of Abia was deeply paramount in his mind of which he was ready to make sacrifices at the expense of his convenience and comfort.
In an era where former governors and political godfathers are at loggerheads and would want to dictate to their successors how to run the State and interfere with the governance, it is a known fact that T.A Orji has not in anyway interfered with the running of Abia State under Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu instead he has continued to give the governor the maximum support and always eulogise his sterling credentials and performances.
Rather than try to destabilize the State like Orji Uzor Kalu did to him, he focused on his law-making ventures by moving more than 14 bills and 4 motions in the Senate with the one to upgrade Abia State Polytechnic to a federal institution which is arguably the most pivotal. The bill to upgrade Abia Poly depicts him a man who truly wants the best for his people.
Ochendu-Global, as he is called, formulated and implemented the the “principle of charter of equity and power rotation” in Abia State despite the enormous pressure from powerful quarters and political pundits for him not to support a man from Abia South for governorship. He terminated the skewed system which greatly limited the possibility of people from certain parts of the State from becoming governor.
Some of his indelible legacies as Abia State governor include:
1) The Towering of Ultra Modern Secretariat buildings for workers.
2) Digital Library.
3) ASEPA building.
4) New High-Court Complex
5) New BCA House
6) Public servant’s housing scheme
7) Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Centre
8) Newly built school buildings and refurbished old buildings.
9) Amaokwe Housing Estate,
10) Completed legislative quarters
11) Traders Housing Estate
12) Government Guess House
13) Public Servants Housing Scheme
14) Isieke Housing Estate
15) Army Command Quarters
16) Roads spanning several Kilometers to mention but a few.
17) Health-Care Centres. Etc
In a clime where some are empowering their youths with wheelbarrows, shoe shining kits, tea making kits and such other petty empowerment items, Senator T.A Orji bought over 4000 vehicles/Trycicles etc to be used for commercial purposes as empowerment scheme for Abia Youths amongst others. There are several Abia youths who are on scholarship through his economic initiative programs. The functional health-care centres he built are part of the reasons why the people freely gave him the mandate to go to the Senate to continue his good works.
In our collective views, Ochendu should be re-elected for the second time in the Senate. His legislative giant strides is specifically focused on health, education and agriculture aimed at improving humanity. Many of such elevating policies that characterize his commitment in the senate have been chronicled especially through many books, newsletters and magazines at home and beyond. A historic discovery was brought to fore by his direct human capital development in the lives of his people.
On July 19, 2017, the National Assembly turned to be a good one as it witnessed a resounding presentation in the Red Chamber of the Upper Legislative arm of the Senate as T.A Orji shocked his colleagues with the motion titled:
“Anti-Malaria Drugs Banned By The European Union Still Being Sold and Consumed In Nigeria: Need for the Senate To Investigate”
As at 2016, Senator Orji was one of those with the highest number of Bills in the Senate. His medical bill raised a collective consciousness to an ugly trend that has afflicted many Nigerian citizens. In our print and electronic media, cases of organ- failure and chronic diseases are on the rise. Kidney transplant is not a disease for the poor which forces family members and other loved ones into desperate public appeals soliciting for funds to enable bedridden Nigerians to embark on trips to India, Saudi Arabia, United States of America, UK, Germany and France. Expert opinions suggest that the rise on such organ-attack are mostly as a result of toxic drugs and items consumed by human beings act of ignorance or just for their easy availability.
Hideously, according to Senator T.A Orji, many drugs banned in the United States and Europe are seriously used in Nigeria which was the kernel and subject of Ochendu’s motion on July 19, 2017 in the Senate. The drugs as listed below by T.A Orji are very shocking as it includes:
1) Alaxin 60mg tablet (dihydroart misinine) B/8, Alaxin oral suspension
2) FL/80ml, Amodiaquine 200mg compressed B/100, Amodiaquine 200mg
3) Compressed B/100, Arinate 100mg tablet (arts Sunate) B/6, Arinate 50mg tablet
4) B/6, Arsumax 50 mg tablet (artasunate) B/12, Artemas 60 mg tablet (dihydroartA misinine)
5) B/8, Arta Madine 40 mg capsule (artemether) B/12, Arta Marine 50 mg tablet (artemether)
6)B/12, Artenam 50 mg tablet (artemether) B/14 Artenam 60 mg tablet (artemether)
7) B/8, ArtAsiane 300 mg child powder oral suspension (artemether)
8) FL/38g, Artesunate 100mg compressed B/120, Artasunate 50 mg tablet B/12, Artexin 60 mg tablet ( dihydroarta misinine)
9) B/8, Camoquine 200mg tablet (amodiaquine) B/55 blisters, Camoquine 200mg tablet (amodiquine)
10) B/25 blisters, Camoquine 200mg tablet (amodiaquine) B/55 blisters, Camoquine 200 mg tablet (amodiaquine)
11) B/24, Camoquine 600 mg tablet (amodiaquine)
12) B/3, Camoquine oral suspension 50mg/5ml (amodiaquine)
13) FL/60ml, Cotecxin oral suspension (dihydroart misinine
14) FL/80ml, Cotecxin 60 mg tablet (dihydroartA misinine)
15) B/8, Daraprim tablet (pyrimA thamine)
16) B/30, Falcinil 50 mg tablet (artesunate)
17) B/12, Flavoquine Oral suspension 50mg/5ml (amodiaquine)
18) FL/90 ml, Flavoquine 200 mg tablet (amodiaquine)
19) B/90 ml, Flavoquine 200 mg tablet (amodiaquine)
20) B/240, Gunate strong tablet (artasunate)
21) B/6 gvs labs, Tvitter powder oral suspension (artemether)
22) FL/100ml, Half an 250 mg tablet (halofantrine)
23) B/6, Half an 250 mg tablet (halofantrine)
24) B/120, Half an oral suspension 5mg/5m (halofantrine)
25) FL/45ml, Malartin 200mg tablet (artesunate)
26) B/6, Malartin 50 mg tablet (artsunate)
27) B/12, mmh-malarex 450 mg capsule (peschiarafuchsiaefolia)
28) B/56, paludrine 100mg tablet (proguanil)
29) B/56, plasmotrim 200mg tablet (artesunate)
30) B/25 blisters/6, plasmotrim 200 mg tablet (artesunate)
31) B/6, plasmotrim 50 mg lactab (artedunate)
32) B/12, plasmotrim 50 mg lactab (artesunate) B/12 blisters.
With the above litany of medical observations and utter human concern by Senator T.A Orji, we should intensify efforts to get him returned to the Senate for the second term to complete the good work he initiated and sponsored in the hallowed chamber. It is not surprising that he knows the dangerous effect of pseudo drugs and medication. In his days as the executive governor of Abia State, while hosting Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, who was the then Minister of Health under Goodluck Jonathan era, he declared that only healthy people can enjoy dividends of democracy. Recall that prior to his assumption as the governor of Abia State, patients travel abroad or outside Abia State for dialyses but by his multiple installations in the ultramodern Abia Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Centre halted the expensive medical exodus.
T.A Orji would be remembered in history for advocating for a total eradication of fake, adulterated and substandard drugs in the Nigerian Senate. Our amazon, Dora Akunyili, of the blessed memory is remembered today for her impenitent war on fake drugs. If she were alive today, only God knows how furious she would have been for these toxic imports that are worst than fake drugs. Obviously, more of such healthy moves by Senator T.A Orji, shall empirically mean more days of enhanced longevity of Nigerians.
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