Former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, has described the administration of former Abia State Governor, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, as a defining period in the state’s political history, saying Kalu put Abia firmly in the national conversation and made the state punch above its weight.
Chidoka also observed that the momentum recorded during the Kalu era faded after he left office, with infrastructure deteriorating and Abia’s national standing diminishing in the years that followed.
The former minister said Kalu understood the political realities that confronted Abia State and the South East at the beginning of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic and provided the assertive and visible leadership the moment demanded.
Chidoka, who was guest speaker at the Abia State 35th anniversary celebration, stated this while reflecting on critical moments in the state’s history and the role of leadership in shaping its development and national standing.
“At the beginning of the Fourth Republic, the South East was searching for voice and relevance in the new democratic order. Orji Uzor Kalu understood that moment. Young, assertive and politically visible, he put Abia firmly in the national conversation. Abia punched above its weight,” Chidoka said.
His remarks offered a positive assessment of Kalu’s eight-year tenure as governor, particularly his ability to give Abia a strong voice and considerable visibility at the national level during the formative years of the Fourth Republic.
Kalu, who assumed office in 1999, quickly became one of the most visible governors in the country and an influential voice on national issues. His political engagements extended beyond Abia, helping to draw attention to the state and the concerns of the South East at a time when, according to Chidoka, the region was searching for voice and relevance in the emerging democratic order.
Chidoka contrasted the Kalu era with what followed, noting that the momentum eventually faded after Kalu’s tenure. He said infrastructure deteriorated, the state’s national standing diminished and Aba increasingly appeared to succeed despite government rather than because of it.
“Over time, that moment faded. Infrastructure deteriorated, the state’s national standing diminished, and Aba increasingly seemed to succeed despite government rather than because of it,” Chidoka said.
The former minister’s assessment effectively placed the decline after the Kalu era against the prominence Abia enjoyed at the beginning of the Fourth Republic, when, in his words, the state “punched above its weight” and was firmly established in the national conversation.
He said the subsequent decline created another defining moment for Abia, adding that Governor Alex Otti appears to have understood the present opportunity to restore confidence in government, rebuild infrastructure and recover the state’s sense of possibility.
“Alex Otti appears to have understood this one: a moment to restore confidence in government, rebuild infrastructure and recover Abia’s sense of possibility,” he said.
Chidoka further argued that the debate over strong leaders and strong institutions should not necessarily present the two as alternatives, noting that societies at critical moments require leaders capable of building institutions that eventually become stronger than their founders.
“We often say Africa needs strong institutions, not strong men. I agree that no society should depend indefinitely on one individual. But who creates strong institutions when the institutions themselves are weak?
“Before there were the Ten Commandments, there was Moses.
“My argument is that the real choice is not between strong leaders and strong institutions. At critical moments, societies need leaders with the capacity to build institutions that eventually become stronger than their founders.
“The strongman makes himself indispensable. The strong leader builds a system that can eventually work without him,” Chidoka said.
He said the challenge before Abia was to ensure that the current opportunity for renewal goes beyond an individual administration and develops into a lasting standard for governance and development.
“Can the present Abia moment become the permanent Abia standard?” he asked.
Kalu governed Abia State from 1999 to 2007 and currently represents Abia North Senatorial District in the Senate.