The Deputy Speaker House of Representatives, Rt Hon Benjamin Kalu, has debunked the rumour making the rounds that the Peace in South East Project launch in his Bende country home of Abia North Senatorial District on 29th December, 2023 was on collision course with the governors of the zone.
The Reps Deputy Speaker noted that there was no iota of truth to that effect.
He added that what happened that day was borne out of his patriotic zeal to find a lasting peace in order to rebuild the spate of insecurity in the region, assuring that there was no political relevance as being insinuated.
Hon Kalu made this revelation at his Bende country home on Sunday during a media chat with journalists in Abia state, adding that no genuine leader will fold his hands when the house is on fire.
Fielding questions from newsmen, Kalu noted that he saw a particular newspaper frontpage (not Blueprint) and wondered why the said paper should make such misrepresentation.
Kalu said, “Peace in South East Project has nothing to do with my political relevance but has more to do with community patriotism, community leadership and at such, there was nothing like having a collision course with South East governors but they are actually supporting the project to restore peace in the region.
Kalu explained that the governors of South East region were in the peace meeting either in person or on representative basis, adding that the Abia state governor, Dr Alex Chioma Otti, led other governors of the region to join forces with other critical stakeholders in search of peace in the South East region.
He added, “peace in South East Project was informed on the need to restore peace in the region, with its economy devastated by the spate of Sit at home every Monday’s wondering how any leader can continue to fold hands with blood of innocent citizens are spilled on the streets, infrastructure destroyed”.
To this end, the Deputy Speaker said that he would be a bad leader if he kept quite in the face of wanton destruction of property and lives of innocent Nigerians.
“Mondays sit-at-home has impoverished the people of South East, the small scale businesses has eaten up the capital as a result of sit at home order, the impact of what is happening in South East region is having a ripple effects in other regions of the country, if the blood that are being spilled on the streets are his brothers’, then he should be bothered and seeks way of bringing peace in the South East region.”
The Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives said the South East Development Commission bill which did not survive 7th House of Representatives, 8th House and 9th Assembly but today has passed first and second readings now at Committee stage as part of the lobbying to) bring a lasting peace in South East region.
He, therefore, called on other leaders not to sit on fence but join hands to find a lasting peace in the zone.
