Why I gave Obasanjo $1m in 1998 – Orji Kalu reveals

Former Governor of Abia State and current senator, Orji Uzor Kalu, has made a surprising revelation about his financial contributions to Nigeria’s political landscape during the early days of democracy.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Senator Kalu disclosed that he gave a whopping $1 million to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1998. In addition, he said he contributed N500 million to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the same period.

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The Abia-born senator, who was discussing Nigerian politics on the TV station, said he’s more anxious to see Nigerians eating three meals a day, and going on good roads

He said: “When I put a lot of money at the time, by then, dollar was big money. Dollar was $84. I gave President Olusegun Obasanjo over $1 million. I gave the party (PDP) over N500 million to start the party.

“They were looking for money. The only few people who could have brought money then were TY Danjuma and Atiku Abubakar. Others had no money. All those people had no money to bring. And that is the truth.

“So for me, we are all friends. All this abusing Tinubu, abusing Orji Kalu, abusing Atiku Abubakar, abusing Amaechi should stop. What I think we should do, we should sit down as a family, talk about the needs of Nigerian people and deliver to them.

“I’m more anxious to see Nigerians eating three meals a day, going on good roads, going to good train stations, going to all these things, working in a decent factory and making decent money. This is what I would like.”