OUK, as he popularly called made this statement during a lecture on youth empowerment and good governance at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN, on Tuesday.
The politician said there was no transparency in government through out the eight years of Obasanjo’s regime.
According Kalu, his problem with Obasanjo started in 1999 when he single handedly financed the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, lending the party N500 million which he borrowed from the defunct Hallmark bank, which the former president asked the then PDP National Chairman, Chief Barnabas Gamade not to pay back.
He said, ”As if that was not enough, the former president closed Slok Airlines (owned by me) as it landed at the Akanu Ibiam International (then Enugu) Airport without explanation; shut down Hallmark bank. It was then that I know problem had begun,” he said.
Speaking further, the former governor said that re-payment of the N500 million formed the major reason for his disagreement with Obasanjo till date.
He noted that he was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, immediately he stepped out of office and charged with money laundering before both the United kingdom and America came to his rescue.
He added that despite all the challanges faced by the Slok Group of Companies, it had over 13,000 in it’s pay roll and planned to employ up to 25,000 Nigerians within the next two years.
According to Kalu, youth unemployment was the biggest social problem in Nigeria today as only about 50 percent of the people were gainfully employed.
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