Former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has called on the National Leader of the All Progressive Congress ( APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to accelerate the mandate of reconciling aggrieved members of the ruling party.

Kalu who spoke to aviation reporters on arrival from Abuja yesterday at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two (MMA2) , Ikeja, Lagos, also reaffirmed that President Muhammadu  Buhari is ready to run for a second term in 2019.

The former Abia governor also threw his weight behind Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s recent call for the establishment of State Police, noting that it would go a long way in addressing the various incidences of crime in some states.

He also called for an immediate ban on imported palm oil  saying the continuous encouragement of the import of the produce was inimical to the growth and prosperity of local farmers.

In the words of the former Abia State governor,  “We need to thank Mr President in his wisdom in giving the mandate to the national leader of APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the opportunity to reconcile members of the party . I am very excited that such a thing is happening.

“I am confident it will be a good beginning for me brother and friend, Tinubu to execute the reconciliation task very well. I am confident Tinubu will be blunt to settle feuding members of the APC.”

He said PresidentBuhari, whom he described as ‘an honest man’ would tell Nigerians at the right time whether he would seek re- election or not.

Kalu continued, ” Buhari is an honest man. If he is interested in running, he will tell Nigerians that he will run. You know Buhari is also a man of conscience , if he feels his health will not allow him to seek re- election he will not go ahead. But, if he feels he capable of running he will seek re- election. We pray that his health gets better and that his doctors give him  a clean bill of health.”

Kalu said although the Igbo in the South East had been cheated over the past decades by successive governments, however, the President Buhari administration was committed to reversing the trend. He also said it would be the right thing to allow the South East take a shot at the Presidency in 2023.

“Other parts of Nigeria have been cheating us (igbo) since 1960, but today the issue is that we must build national cohesion.

“The problem with Nigeria is the inability to build national cohesion by all stakeholders. We are still talking about tribe; where people come from and what people think about their religion.

“We need to impress it on all Nigerians that we need a country where all stakeholders feel a sense of belonging. Not minding where they come from or where they live , they should feel at home whether in , Ogbomosho, Lagos, Ibadan, Sokoto , Enugu , they should  feel at home .The earlier we have that sense of belonging the better for all of us.”

Dr. Kalu also said the call for Igbo Presidency in 2023 by some political gladiators in the North only resonates with the principle of fairness.

Said Kalu, “It is the right thing to do, Nigeria is built on a tripod, when you allow the South East to have the Presidency by 2023, that will be the end of the civil war.

“The South East has had the Chief of Army Staff, the Inspector General of Police. So it is only natural for the South East to have the Presidency.

“No man has the capacity to divide this country, the country will fight such a man. It is not possible, so the fear in the minds of people that the Igbo are  pushing for secession only amounts to imbalance in perception.

“Take a look at Lagos State, Igbo have over fifty percent of investment here. Go to Abuja, almost seventy per cent  of its investment are owed by Igbo.

“So, where are the Igbos going to go outside Nigeria. All these kind of talks are just blackmail . We should stop the  blackmail . An Igbo president will bring prosperity to Nigeria , because the Igbo man or woman had the capacity for business and investment in areas outside their homeland.

” So, Igbo presidency is a thing the country should do with joy and pride in showcasing an Igbo man as President.”

On the importation of Palm oil into Nigeria he said: “The Ministers of Finance and Agriculture should immediately convene a conference  for stakeholders in that value chain to sought out the issues . All imported Palm oil in Nigeria should be banned. Whether it contravenes the conventions of the World Trade Organisation ( WTO) or not.

“We need to protect the agricultural sector of our economy.  because it is our mainstay. We need to consider farmers growing farm produce and cash crops, especially Palm oil, the farmers cannot sell their produce because the big giants are importing Palm oil into the country from Malaysia, so how do we develop our own economy.

“Look at what Buhari has done in the rice cultivation value chain, it is almost zero importation. Why can’t we adopt such model for Palm oil?