Abia North Senator, Orji Uzor Kalu, on Monday, took President Bola Tinubu’s economic message to Zamfara State, commissioning key infrastructure and urging Governor Dauda Lawal to prioritise development by aligning with the Federal Government’s economic agenda.
Kalu, a former Abia State governor and senior chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), commissioned the newly constructed Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and the renovated Zamfara College of Arts and Science in Gusau, the state capital.
During the event, Kalu also revealed plans to establish food and mineral processing plants in Zamfara, stressing the state’s potential in agriculture and solid minerals. He noted that investing in processing infrastructure would create jobs, add value to local raw materials, and boost the state’s economy.
Speaking at the commissioning, Kalu appealed to Governor Lawal, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to set aside political differences and build a working relationship with President Tinubu to attract Federal Government support.
In a statement he made during the event, Kalu said:
“I know you are PDP. I am APC. The President is APC. Do PDP as a party but do economic development as a Zamfara man so Zamfara can develop. Once you leave economic diplomacy and play politics, you will lose, Zamfara people will lose.”
He added that he was not asking Lawal to defect to the APC but to adopt “political economics” — a strategy that places development above partisan interests.
Kalu, who governed Abia State from 1999 to 2007, drew from his own experience, recalling how he worked closely with Tinubu, then of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), despite their party differences.
“The president is not only my brother; he is my friend. Whatever our political differences were, we have healed them. I want you to do the same. Be on good terms with him so Zamfara can benefit.”
He also called on Governor Lawal and former Governor Abdul’aziz Yari to put political rivalry aside and unite for the good of Zamfara, which he said urgently needs Federal Government attention and intervention.
Kalu emphasised that his planned investment in food and mineral processing plants would align with Tinubu’s national economic reforms and directly empower Zamfara’s people.
“This place is rich in natural resources. With federal support and local collaboration, we can transform these resources into wealth and development,” he said.
