Nigeria Is Safe In Ouk’s Hand – Prof. Ukaogo

                By
     Simeon Ezeugwu

The Senate Chief whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu who recently expressed his desire to succeed incumbent president Mohammadu Buhari has been commended for volunteering to lead Nigeria.

This commendation came from Professor Victor Ukaogo, the convener of Forum of South East Professors and Professionals (FOSEPP) and lecturer in the department of history and international Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka in his office.

It would be recalled that senator Orji Kalu was in the news last week to inform Nigerians that he wants to be the next president of the country. He was emphatic of his readiness, capacity and competitiveness to wrestle his party’s presidential ticket from anybody who is interested in the contest. And without mincing words, he indicated his ability to match grit for grit the national leader of the APC Senator Bola Tinubu for the party’s presidential ticket.

It was on account of this that Prof. Ukaogo rued OUK’s chances and affirmed that ‘ Nigeria will be safe with Orji Uzor Kalu’. Brimming with excitement, the professor of history with specialization in international environmental politics clearly expressed his delight that ‘if not for anything, the confidence and force with which OUK announced his conditional intension showed that the Southeast will not be cowed again in this latest round of electoral contest’. There maybe other Igbo contenders for the high office but it does seem that Professor Ukaogo’s position is probably anchored on those who can last long in the looming contest. He said ‘the conditional declaration by OUK is well received because he will finish the race and if he wins as we envisage, Nigeria will be in safe hands’. In his opinion, ‘Nigeria needs an enterpreneurial president; an individual that will do things differently’.

He said that FOSEPP will be meeting in the coming weeks to take a position as it affects the Southeast. Professor Ukaogo spoke in his personal capacity as an individual but affirmed that FOSEPP is interested in the welfare and progress of its members but insists that whatever happens in the Southeast region is their primary concern. To him ‘ we will mobilise and energise our members and you will hear us loud and clear’ on this and other matters.

Professor Ukaogo urged colleagues across the zone to be prepared to contribute to a new Nigeria while ensuring that the Southeast is not schemed out of relevance in the coming months.