Kalu Orji Uzor

Orji Uzor Kalu (born 21 April 1960) is a Nigerian politician and businessman who is the senator representing Abia North Senatorial District. He served as governor of Abia State from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. Kalu is the chairman of SLOK Holding and the Daily Sun and New Telegraph newspapers in Nigeria. Prior to his election, he served as the chairman of the Borno Water Board and the chairman of the Cooperative and Commerce Bank Limited. Kalu was also a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), and the chairman of the PPA Board of Trustees. He was the party's presidential candidate in the April 2007 general election. He is currently a member of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) after officially announcing his resignation as the PPA BOT chair.

Orji Uzor Kalu contested in the 2019 Nigerian general election to represent the people of Abia North in the senate, running under the banner of All Progressives Congress. He defeated the incumbent senator Mao Ohuabunwa with over 10,000 votes. Born to the family of Mr. Johnson Uzor Nesiegbe Kalu and Mrs. Eunice Kalu, with only $35 to his name, Kalu began trading palm oil, first buying the oil from Nigeria’s eastern regions and then selling it in the country’s northern regions. He then began buying and reselling furniture on a large scale.

Kalu eventually established SLOK Holding, a conglomerate consisting of successful companies such as Ojialex Furniture Company, SLOK Nigeria Limited, SLOK United Kingdom Limited, Adamawa Publishers Limited, SLOK Vegetable Oil, Aba, SLOK Paper Factory, Aba, SLOK United States Incorporated, SLOK Ghana, Togo, Cotonou, Guinea, South Africa, Liberia, Botswana, SLOK Korea, Supreme Oil Limited, SLOK Airlines, Sun Publishing Limited, and First International Bank Limited. At age 26, he became the youngest Nigerian to receive the National Merit Award from President Ibrahim Babangida.

Kalu was recognized with numerous awards, including the Industrialist of the Year by the Nigerian Chamber of Commerce, the Humanitarian Award from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, the Volunteer Award of the International Association of Volunteers, and the World Bank Leon Sullivan Award. He attended Christ the King School Aba and Government College Umuahia, then studied political science at the University of Maiduguri, where he was a student activist during the 'Ali Must Go' riots. He was suspended for his role and later left school to start his business.

Kalu holds a degree from Abia State University, a Certificate in Business Administration from Harvard University, and honorary doctorates from the universities of Maiduguri and Abia State. He headed First International Bank Limited at age 33 and managed Nigerian commercial relations with China’s SinoPacific Shipbuilding company while serving as a principal of SLOK Holding. On 11 July 2007, Kalu was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on corruption charges while serving as governor of Abia State. He was later released on bail and accused the Obasanjo regime of persecution.

Kalu has been a supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari, calling him a close friend and father. On 8 August 2023, he was named chairman of the Senate committee on privatization. He is the chairman of the Daily Sun, a Nigerian daily newspaper with a circulation of 130,000 copies daily (as of 2011), and the New Telegraph, with a circulation of 100,000 copies per day. The Daily Sun was the highest-selling newspaper in Nigeria. Kalu is also involved with the Njiko Igbo Movement, aiming to secure the presidential seat for an Igbo candidate.

Kalu was convicted by the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court on 5 December 2019 for defrauding Abia State government using SLOK Nigeria Limited, sentenced to 12 years in prison. The EFCC later wound down SLOK Nigeria Limited, including The Sun Publishing Ltd, which was unrelated to the charges. The Supreme Court ruled on 8 May 2020 that his conviction was wrongly conducted and ordered a retrial. He was released from prison on 3 June 2020.

Kalu married Ms. Ifeoma Ada Menakaya in December 1989, and they have four children: Neya Uzor Kalu, Michael Uzor Kalu, Olivia Uzor Kalu, and Nicole Uzor Kalu. His political timeline includes: 1999 (elected governor of Abia State on PDP), 2003 (re-elected governor), 2006 (left PDP to form PPA), 2007 (contested presidential election on PPA platform and was arrested by EFCC), 2011 (contested as Abia North Senatorial candidate on PPA platform), 2012 (re-joined PDP), 2015 (returned to PPA), 2016 (joined APC), 2018 (received the title Danbaiwan-Hausa from the Emir of Daura), and 2019 (contested and won the Abia North Senatorial election).