The Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has been described as a “good man” by friends from various Universities who visited him in August in his country home, Igbere, in Abia State over the lingering strike by Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.
In a statement made available to IGBERE TV by Dr . Agwu,T. Okorie, Secretary OUK Friends Nigeria Chapter, the group expressed disappointment, dismay, sadness and dissatisfaction over the recent display of mockery, uproar, caricature, words of vituperation, calumny and unreasonable behaviour emanating from the last visit to the former Governor of Abia State.
The group said the nefarious actions and activities were geared towards casting aspersions on the person and personality of the Peoples’ Senator and also tarnish the image of his friends, constituents and well wishers that paid him the “August Visit” as if both parties have committed any act of perjury against the state or any individual.
The statement added that there was no delegation to His Excellency’s house as those that attended were not there to represent any association /union as claimed by ASUU MOUAU, but staff from his senatorial zone, OUK friends in MOUAU (both teaching and non-teaching), and some Abians that got the information and felt they had gotten a golden and privileged opportunity to see this “good man” called OUK for the first time.
The group also resolved to repeat the august visit if Senator Orji Uzor Kalu so wishes.
According to the statement, “for the ASUU MOUAU, no law of the association forbids visitation by a university staff to a friend’s house In as much as the visit did not potray the visitors as representing the union which we did not do.”
The statement reads in parts,
“When has it become an offence or sacrilegious to visit a Senator representating you and a man with a good heart? If it were in the western or northern part of this country, His Excellency Senator Orji Uzor Kalu will be highly celebrated, heralded and encomiums showered on him for putting smiles on the faces of people who had starved and suffered hunger for more than six months without salary.”
” Why is it that some of our brothers to a large extent want to portray themselves as being vindictive in matters that require praises and commendations?
Many of those that openly criticized the visit did so as a result of envy and jealousy. One of the key critics later confessed that he did so since he was not informed of such vitally important August visit.”
” Succinctly put, there was no delegation to His Excellency’s house, those that attended were not there to represent any association /union as claimed by ASUU MOUAU, but staff from his senatorial zone, OUK friends in MOUAU (both teaching and non-teaching), and some Abians that got the information and felt they had gotten a golden and privileged opportunity to see this “good man” called OUK for the first time.”
” Originally, our intention was to see the Governor of Abia State, but his aides could not give us access to express the intent and purpose of our proposed visit, but decided to give us date that was not achievable within our plans. Since the said visit we had expected some other well-to-do Abians and Nigerians in general to replicate this lovely and kind gesture meted-out to us by His Excellency, rather than throwing tantrums to a man with a heart of gold.”
” University staff globally are known to be dedicated in their duty posts hence no other source of income is open for them. Where do you expect them to get the money and resources for the upkeep of themselves and their families. So for a man with a good heart that invited his friends and constituents has committed a great crime ; there is no sane person that will call good evil except all these people trying to arrogate authority and approval to themselves. Who on earth gives the approval for a person or group of persons to visit a friend. A big shame to all that had wanted to decimate a good work just because you were not charitable to do so.”
” We have resolved to repeat the august visit if His Excellency so wishes, for the ASUU MOUAU, no law of the association forbids visitation by a university staff to a friend’s house In as much as the visit did not potray the visitors as representing the union which we did not do.”
” Do you know the number of university staff that have died within this period or how many members of their families hospitalised for malnutrition? How can we be so callous and ungrateful to salute a man of courage that gave both cash and food items to his friends that visited him.”
” Membership of any union or association in life is predicated upon who is alive. History has not recorded any association formed by the dead. So for ASUU MOUAU and any other union that want to score a cheap political goal, this scenario is not suitable for such but requires accolades to His Excellency. All the lecturers or staff that died within now are no longer members of the Unions ; so it is better for us to thank the man that helped and assisted our members.”
” The visit was devoid of official letter or union”s banners describing the visitors as members of any union, neither were the statements made by the persons that spoke depicted it in any manner. Solidarity songs are not the exclusive of any union but sang whenever workers at any level want to express dissatisfaction between the negative treatment of their employers.”
” We want to use this medium to appeal to His Excellency not to listen to these selfish and self-centered politicians who want to use the instrumentality of the Unions to discredit and distract him from his acts of goodwill and heart of mercy. If more opportunities are given to us by your humble self, we will still come again.”
” An adage says “you can choose your friends not your neighbours” OUK is our friend and these other critics are our neighbours, and the right to choose is exclusively ours.”
” Hitherto, His Excellency has been hosting and graciously entertaining many groups from other universities in Abuja , why should this particular visit be misconstrued . The essence of the visit was primarily to intimate him of the prolonged strike action that affected all the Unions in our State and Federal universities and to solicit his intervention knowing that he is a fearless spokesperson. The said visit had no political undertone rather some faceless politicians seeking uneccessary awareness and popularity wanted to present the visit in a bad light.”
” We are not ashamed of your representation, you have done well so far bringing the dividends of democracy closer to the grassroot. A man whose real nature, intention and purpose is to always ingratiate himself with the members of the public, very urbane, open hearted with a high sense of dignity and decency. Never have we seen it so good for the past twenty years.”
” Your Excellency, do not join issues with these people fanning the embers of discouragement, disunity, distrust, division and disloyalty. As your friends, constituents and well wishers, we give you a clean slate of excellent performance and exceptional achievements.”
“Thanks Greatly for positively impacting the lives of many – you have strengthened the weak hands and feeble knees over these years, do not be weary of your good works. Your goodwill nature and style of philanthropy should not be mocked or bastardized on the platter of scoring an insincere political goal, mediocrity and inferiority complex, ” *RIDE ON, THE PEOPLES’ SENATOR* ”
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