Providence has been good to him, no doubt.
Everything about Orji Uzoh Kalu, a former governor of Abia State points to the fact that he was born under a lucky star.
His inspiring journey began when he became the President of the Students Union Government (SUG) in his days at the University of Maiduguri.
Three years after, he graced the covers of some national dailies when he was appointed the Chairman of Borno Water Board at 25.
Fate, again, shot him to the limelight when he was appointed the Chairman of Cooperative and Commerce Bank at the young age of 27 and at 28, he was made the Chairman of Imo State Marketing Agency.
But the crowning glory was when, by providence, he became the Governor of Abia State at 39.
Prior to his emergence as the then number 1 citizen in Abia State, Kalu had hugged success, to the envy of others.
Typical of all successful men in history, he is not insulated against challenges.
His political career had once suffered a setback of a sort. At that time, some had predicted the collapse of his business empire.
But he bounced back like a hero. Today, he is not only an elected Senator, he is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with in the political climate around the country.
In all of this, he is very much appreciative of the unseen hand of God in his life.
For this, he himself has committed his life to the service of humanity. In line with avowed commitment, Kalu recently purchased 450,000 palm seedlings for distribution to farmers in the state.
Speaking at the launch of the seedlings at his Igbere country home in Bende Local Government Area, Kalu said that the initiative was his own support to President Muhammadu Buhari’s policy to revolutionize agriculture in Nigeria.
He also said that the initiative was designed to encourage Abia farmers to go into palm plantation and other cash crops in order to create wealth.
“This is a sure way of creating wealth among the people of Abia. It is better than sharing money to them,” he said.
He stated that the seedlings would be given to those with proof of ownership of family land for the palm plantation.
Kalu, a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress in the state said the distribution would cut across party lines, adding that “The period of electioneering is over. Now is the time to give the dividend of democracy to our people, irrespective of their party affiliations.
“When the foundation distributed vehicles under its youth empowerment scheme, it cut across the part line. It was non-partisan.
“The only criterion for qualification is proof of ownership of family land.”
He further stated that the size of the family land would determine the quantity of seedling to be given to people.
“If you have 100 hectares of land, you will get the quantity for that size. If you have 10 hectares, you will also be given the quantity for the size of the land,” Kalu said.
The former Abia governor, who recalled that he distributed free palm seedlings to secondary school children during his administration urged the recipients to utilize the opportunity to create wealth and become self-reliant.
Kalu said that the dependence on importation of palm from Thailand and Malaysia would drastically reduce by the time people would begin to harvest the fruits of the palm.