Igbos Are their Own Worst Enemies – Orji Kalu

Igbos, who have often blamed the Federal Government for the backwardness in the South East, have been told that they have no one but themselves to blame for their woes.

Former Abia State Governor and businessman, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, said in the recent edition of The Interview: “Igbos are their own worst enemies.”

Kalu said a number of the elite in the region are not only selfish, they also get their politics wrong.

“Let me tell you,” he said in an emotion-laden voice, “there were more problems between (Asiwaju Bola) Tinubu and (Babatunde) Fashola than there were between me and TA (Theodore Ahamefule Orji).

“But it is the discipline of the Yorubas that kept them at bay.

“Igbos have no discipline in terms of politics.

“They are very good traders; they’re good in anything they do, but they don’t understand politics.”

Kalu was referring to the fractured relationship between Tinubu and Fashola in the latter’s second term as governor of Lagos State and comparing it to his own internecine war with his successor, Theodore A. Orji, which led to the extinction of the Progressive Peoples Alliance, the party he founded.

In the interview, described by the Managing Director/Editor-In-Chief of The Interview, Azu Ishiekwene, as “the political equivalent of the ogbunigwe (Biafran improvised explosives)”, Kalu illustrated his point with a conversation he claimed to have had with President Muhammadu Buhari, who wondered aloud why previous high profile Igbo appointees had done nothing for the region.

Kalu also spoke on the agitation for a state of Biafra and the travails of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu; his relationship with former President Ibrahim Babangida and former Governor Ikedim Ohakim; the recent statement of former Governor Peter Obi; and allegations that while he governed Abia State for eight years, his mother ruled.

In this edition, Tolu Ogunlesi engages Boko Haram leader, Abu Shekau, in an “exchange” of letters by email and Nigeria’s matriarch of Agony Aunts, Bunmi Sofola, gives an insight into what happens to love in a recession.

In one his first major interviews, the Managing Director of Nigeria’s mortgage refinance company, Prof. Charles Inyangete, also shares secrets on how you can make mortgage work for you.

“It’s a sure medicine for this recession,” Ishiekwene said in a statement released on Monday.

Power Sharing Not Threatening APC, Says Ngige

Senator Chris Ngige on Thursday in Abuja denied reports that issues of power sharing was threatening the stability of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-East.

He said that it was untrue that the Igbos were divided over the position of the Secretary to the General of the Federation (SGF).

Ngige made this known while interacting with newsmen at the sidelines of the visit of a delegation of Ohaneze Ndigbo to the President-elect, retired Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari

“We cannot say for now that our party has zoned the position of the SGF to the South-East because we have a standing committee that is still working on distribution of party offices.

“The import of what is happening, like you said, is that in the executive branch now the South-East is not represented at all and in the legislature, we will not be represented because we have no senator from the South-East of Nigeria.

“We have two House of Representatives members who are not ranking and might not get any meaningful position in the end.

“It is in that wise that the people you saw here last week and today again have been consistently asking for position of SGF to come to the South-East,” he said.

Reiterating that there was no rancour in their camp, Ngige said, “you can see we are a disciplined people in the South-East, forget about what people are saying in the newspapers.”

“We have a caucus and that caucus has met on that position; we are only waiting for the party to officially tell us this is your position and we will submit the name.

“We have come to a decision but when we get to the bridge we will cross it; let the party say South-East this is your position then we will not waste even one hour in submitting a name,” he said.

Also speaking to newsmen, Caretaker Committee Chairman of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Raph Obioha, said there was a feeling among the Igbos of political imbalance in the polity.

“There is a creation and a feeling of an imbalance in the political equation; there must be a tripod in the political equation of Nigeria but that tripod seems to be missing one leg.

“If it is not truly harnessed well, it cannot stand but Buhari gave the assurance that he would treat the entire nation as his constituency for all and we believed him,” he said.

If Kenya were a person, it would look like her…

As you all know, I carry my camera with me everywhere I go. I usually don’t carry it with me to school because I’m scared of losing my baby. Besides, I travel via the same route everyday and nothing interesting happens, so it’s pretty pointless. I also have lots of books to carry.

Anyway, I decided to take my camera to school on Friday because I assumed everyone would be dressed up. Luckily for me, Comfort was also at school and she looked beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

You all remember Comfort, right? The beautiful Kenyan model with a great smile? Yeah I thought so. I went up to her and asked if we could do a quick photoshoot during lunch and she said yes.

We went to the back of the school building and I spent about 20 minutes with her. I’ve been trying to experiment with lighting, so I was glad when the sun came out for a bit. Working with Comfort was so much fun. She doesn’t know it, but she has been a great help to me, as she is an experienced model. Comfort was very comfortable in front of the camera.

Haha, see what I did there? No? Okay.

Anyway, I’ve learnt an awful lot from her, in terms of directing the model.

I am really pleased with the pictures I got and I hope you like the best images I’ve chosen for this post.

Did I tell you Comfort wants me to take pictures for her portfolio? She’s hiring me as her personal photographer, but don’t worry. I’ll still have a soft spot in my heart for anyone else.

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I’ll be posting more pictures from the photoshoot next week. Stay in touch!