Abia North Senatorial Zone: Political Offices Not Anyone’s Property – Emeka Kalu

Chief Emeka Charles Kalu, an engineer and a seasoned politician, apart from being a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is the Founder and President, Eck Foundation. In this interview with EJIKEME OMENAZU,

he speaks on how the Foundation has been impacting on humanity as well as his ambition to represent his Abia North Senatorial District in the Red Chambers of the National Assembly, among other issues.

Excerpt:

You once wanted to be a governor of Abia State. Why did you not pursue that dream to its logical conclusion?

Not that I didn’t pursue the dream to a logical conclusion. But, I foresaw the fractions, sabotage and all manners of strife that could jeop­ardise my future political career and I decided to lower the bar off the handle. That was in 2015 and I had the capacity, political will and greater support of the electorate, especially the students’ society who truly aligned with my agenda of a pathway to a new Abia. In politics, one has to be proactive, conscious and adaptive to avoid pursuing the right goal in the wrong direction and that was what guided my de­cisions.

Today, I have garnered politi­cal related experience capable of leading my further steps to run for any elective seat in Nigeria. So, my discontinuation in pursuit of the dream did not mean I have dis­tanced myself from active involve­ment in party politics.

We learnt you want to represent your people at the Senate come 2027. Would you say that Abia North has not been enjoying good representation, first un­der Senator Mao Ohuabunwa and now under Senator Orji Uzor Kalu?

No. It is all about interest and the will of the people to determine who represents them or not. Mao Ohu­abunwa actually did well during his days in the Hallowed Red Chamber. Regarding Orji Uzo Kalu, I will not conclude if he is doing well or not. Rather, it is the people who have the power to elect those who are in a po­sition to decide and rate his perfor­mance scorecard. A representative government office is not made to be permanently domiciled in one person’s hands. As key players in the sector, it is honourable to serve and give space for others to make their own inputs. To me, I detest being selfishly dogmatised as the only person who loves remaining in the corridors of power. The fair thing is leading by example, mak­ing impacts while in service and giving room for others to come on board. Democracy is like an orbit circle that revolves around us. That is why it is seen to be a bad example when one sees oneself as a lord over the decision of millions of people who legitimately own the mantle of power.

What are the needs of the people of Abia North which you wish to project at the Red Chamber if you are able to win?

The provisions of basic infra­structural development, educa­tion empowerment scheme for the youth, skill acquisition and self-re­liance training programmes, etc, re­main my cardinal areas of attention when popularly voted into office as a Senator. I am very much concerned about the sufferings of our people who had been denied access to the enjoyment of basic social amenities as a result of poor representations in government. I can’t stay to watch this ugly trend continuously raising its ugly head against the comfort of our people to whom we owe the greatest level of responsibilities. If we can’t earnestly take care of those who give us their mandate in trust, what else does the mandate itself worth! We must see our participa­tion in politics as an opportunity to serve and transform the society, not as an avenue for self-enrichment. I would rather pull out of politics than cunningly deceive my peo­ple with mouthwatering promises without ever attempting to fulfil any. I don’t live a fake life and if you ask those closer to me, you will be able to know the stuff I am made of.

We understand that apart from being in politics and in business, you also have a Foundation. Could you tell us what the Foundation is about?

Thank you for the interest in the Eck Foundation and its mission. By God’s grace, Eck Foundation is a globally registered non-profit making organisation decked with the commitment of growing, nur­turing and advancing humanity. Of­ficially incorporated in the United States of America and Africa, pre­cisely Nigeria, we have the vision of building a viable society where the less privileged, the destitute and the unemployed are provided with life transforming opportunities on how best to better their lives. Conscious­ly, we understand the dangers of ha­bouring jobless youths in our social settings and then quickly factored plans towards making their lives more comfortable through strate­gically engaging them in skill acqui­sitions and other empowerment re­lated ventures. In partnership with the relevant government agencies, Eck Foundation has taken it upon itself to continuously identify with the rural dwellers to detect their so­cial burdens and then see how we can come to their aid. Our interest mostly centres on building interac­tive networks across the chains of human endeavours with a view to salvaging humanity from the dark side of helplessness to a new front of accelerated access to a better functioning today and a promising tomorrow.

What is the Foundation’s modus ope­randi?

It is a non-restricted socio-hu­man platform that everyone is free to be part of. We don’t ask for mone­tary value returns in compensation to what good we might have done for people. Rather, we squeeze our limited resources to invest in others with the sole intent of planting and growing their future. We don’t seek or shop for any financial support from the government to be able to deliver on our set goals, except the government in its discretion, feels impressed with our lines of activ­ities and decides to support us. On this note, we would be glad to see this happen since our focus is on building disruptive innovations capable of greening the lives of the poor. So, Eck Foundation is akin to a cradle kitchen mother-daughter relationship where dishes prepared are not hidden from anyone’s knowl­edge. What we have belongs to all, provided it is meant to put smiles on gloomy faces. In fact, Eck Foun­dation is a stream that unbelievably feeds the universe from the tiny earth crack.

Are the Eck Foundation’s activities lim­ited to only your senatorial district and Abia State? Or, is it a national affair?

Our operation tentacles are spread across the globe with un­limited connecting networks on problem solving. It is neither limit­ed to my ancestral community, nor Abia North Senatorial District. Rather, it is widely circulated to all human races. Nothing limits a life touching establishment whose aim is unselfishly domiciled. Therefore, Eck Foundation is fruited beyond national operation consciousness, but formidably anchored globally, reaching out to Adam’s revolving planets. In the United States, we have a medical outreach where the citizens are guided on the processes of getting access to viable health­care services. In the Republic of Guinea Bissau, our partnership with the government agencies has provided solutions in raising the people’s standard of living through industrial skill acquisition train­ing in electrical installation, web designs, etc. In Nigeria, particu­larly Abia State, numerous lives have been positively touched via palliatives distributions, irrespec­tive of whether one is an indigene or not. At the same time, plans are on top gear in consultations with the World Health Organisation (WHO) towards providing medical facilities and other sustainable so­cial infrastructures for the constit­uents. With the inferences made so far, you will agree with me that the Foundation’s activities are not concentrated in my biological com­munity, but one networked in favour of all mankind, including you and I.

What would you say you have been able to achieve through the ECK Foundation?

Well, to the glory of God, I am de­lighted to say that we have recorded milestone successes in helping peo­ple from all walks of life. I cherish humility and it worries me expos­ing the good things we have been able to do because I know that only God is in a better position to pay back. What gladdens my heart is the level of progress the Founda­tion has made so far despite other constraints and as long as we keep oiling the engine part, the propel­ling wheels of our sailing ship can­not be punctured. The result is not hidden and anybody who is familiar with our activities will see through the lines of our achievement. Cur­rently, we are organising a football tournament of N1 Million winner’s prize tag among the four autono­mous communities in Bende as part of our community relations ser­vices. We have also procured 2,500 bags of rice to be fairly distributed to our people as yuletide free gifts. The Foundation does not have much to satisfy all, but within the context of what is available, we will never hesitate to share them justly. Even in social media networks, we have achieved a giant stride in building strong media platforms through which our activities are harmon­ised, coordinated and published for public assessment, access and evaluations.