Now that ‘Mr number six’ Benjamin Okezie Kalu has started to make arrogant political statements about the new Abia state where every public infrastructure is beginning to take real shape to the admiration of the entire Nigerian landscape, it has become equally necessary to accurately review his own political scorecard in the public domain. This arrogant political underling with a mouth like a bird’s peak says he is preparing to run for the Governorship seat of God’s own state and it is driving him nuts in the head and his unbriddled arrogance and haughtiness is beginning to dance naked in the open market place.
However his political witchdoctors already knows his impending doom but would not let him know he is paddling an already capsized boat on a stormy sea. But time will show him his size and his shame when the larger Nigerian public will be shown the ridiculous tiny shrine he constructed in his native village and labeled it an ultra-modern health center. Sooner than later this unruly thing who parades himself as number six in Nigeria will learn what it feels like to undergo a major surgery without Anasthesia.
When a man who should be a voice of hope for his people chooses instead to deride them, he forfeits the moral right to represent them. The recent utterances of the Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, on the infrastructural condition of Abia State, were not only disappointing but deeply insensitive. His tone and posture revealed a growing arrogance that is unbecoming of one who claims to speak for a people whose dignity and development have long been neglected.
Mr. Kalu’s public statements portray a man more eager to impress the political centre than to defend his home region. His boast of being “Number Six in Nigeria’s hierarchy of leadership” may serve his ego, but it adds nothing to the lives of the people of Abia State or the South East at large. What moral satisfaction is there in celebrating a position that has brought neither infrastructural transformation nor economic relief to the region he hails from?
It is troubling that Mr. Kalu, who professes closeness to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, appears powerless to influence meaningful attention to the South East — a region that remains economically strangled and politically marginalised. His attempt to dress up political subservience as statesmanship insults the intelligence of Abians, who can see clearly that their roads, schools, and industries still cry out for federal attention.
At the Enyimba International Stadium in Aba, the Deputy Speaker lavished praises on President Tinubu for “increasing” funds to Abia State, while urging the people to appreciate the President for Governor Alex Otti’s developmental strides. That assertion was both misleading and condescending. The President has not “given” Abia a kobo beyond its constitutional entitlement from the Federation Account — funds that belong to all Nigerians and are shared monthly by law. The federal government takes more than 52% of national revenue, while Abia, like other states, survives on less than 2%. To credit Abuja for what belongs to Abia is to perpetuate ignorance and rob one’s people of self-worth.
If Mr. Kalu truly understood the economic pain his people endure, he would focus less on rehearsed praises and more on advocating fair fiscal policies, stable exchange rates, and infrastructural equity for the South East. Instead, his rhetoric suggests a man more committed to preserving his political comfort than confronting the injustices that keep his region underdeveloped.
His silence on pressing regional issues — from the continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to the recurring Monday lockdowns that cripple the Igbo economy — contrasts sharply with his loud applause for federal policies that have brought little benefit to his people. Leadership demands courage, not flattery. The Deputy Speaker’s voice should echo the frustrations of the East, not muffle them beneath party propaganda.
Even his call for Abians to “thank” the President for appointing Hon. Nkiru Onyejiocha as Minister exposes a shallow grasp of governance. Ministerial appointments are constitutional rights, not presidential favours. No one thanks a man for obeying the law. The same logic applies to the allocation of funds: Abia owes its development to competent leadership at home, not to ceremonial gestures from Abuja.
The people of Abia are not blind. They know who is working and who is working for themselves. Governor Alex Otti’s reforms are visible — cleaner cities, better roads, fiscal transparency, and a growing sense of order. To credit those achievements to federal benevolence is to insult both the governor’s effort and the people’s intelligence.
Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu must be reminded that political titles mean nothing when one’s words betray the people one claims to represent. His recent remarks in Aba were a painful reminder of how easily some leaders trade truth for proximity to power. A man who belittles his home for applause in Abuja cannot be a true ambassador of his people.
What Abia needs is not a ceremonial “Number Six,” but a courageous advocate — one who speaks truth to power, defends the dignity of the South East, and upholds the principle that leadership is service, not showmanship.
And yes, the people came. They came because of their love for Abia, not for political theatrics. The outpouring of support at Enyimba Stadium was organic, genuine, and beyond the shallow politics of those who mistake propaganda for performance.
History will remember who stood for Abia — and who stood in her way.