Eminent industrialist and former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for approving intervention funds to states as bailout to fulfil their obligations, especially payment of staff salaries, which has been a challenge for most of the 36 states.
The Chairman of Slok group, who is currently on a business tour in Europe, was received by the officials of the Nigerian Embassy in Berlin as well as in Poland, where members of the Nigerian community came out en masse to welcome him.
During in an interactive session on Thursday with the Nigerian business community in Poland, Kalu poured encomiums on President Buhari for urgently listening to the appeals of poor workers who have been owed for several months.
He noted that the approval of $1.2 billion sourced from the Liquefied Natural Gas funds and Central Bank of Nigeria loan as directed by the President, will aid the affected states to discharge their responsibilities.
He noted that the President’s directive will remain evergreen in the minds of every good Nigerian.
The former Governor advised state governors to plan ahead and spend judiciously to avoid such unbecoming inability to pay workers salaries as at when due.
Kalu, who said that during his eight years as Governor of Abia State he ensured workers salaries were paid on the 25th of every month, condemned the current trend of wasteful spending of some governors, which has not only resulted in setting their states backward in terms of development, but also inflicted pain on the citizenry, adding that governors should trim down their security vote to 30 per cent if it cannot be fully abolished.
In his words: “Buhari could have ignored the cries of the workers and insisted on the states finding ways of resolving their internal challenges, but contrarily and as the father of the nation, who ‘belongs to everyone’, he waived every excuse to save the workers.”
Kalu said of the late appointment of Ministers by Buhari: “Nigerians are so impatient.
“Nigerians should be patient with President Buhari and score him after a year in office.
“He is still busy taking stocks with the various permanent secretaries on a daily basis since he assumed office.
“We should allow him do this work.”
The Nigerian Business Community in Poland is charged with the duty of scouting for Foreign Direct Investment or strategic partnerships between their host community and Nigeria so as to add value to the effort of the current administration to better our economy.
Kalu also praised former President Goodluck Jonathan for accepting defeat in the presidential election and ushering Nigeria into a peaceful political environment.
The business mogul, who was with Barrister Benjamin Kalu, the Managing Director of Bende Export Import Limited, and their Polish business partners, is expected to arrive Innsbruck, Austria on July 11, 2015.
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