By Ekuson Nw’Ogbunka
Abuja
When Senator Orji Uzor Kalu arrived in Sokoto on Thursday, he was not in his Abia North senatorial district, yet the crowd and expectations treated him like a son of the soil. The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Privatization commissioned the N3.5 billion Arikilla Layout Road Network in Wamakko Local Government Area, a project that speaks more to politics of inclusion than constituency boundaries.
The road, funded and delivered under the senator’s national intervention drive, reflects how some federal lawmakers are stretching service delivery beyond statutory limits. For residents of Wamakko, the commissioning meant new access routes, reduced transport costs, and faster movement of goods and people in a fast-growing layout.
Analysts see the gesture as a practical example of “United we Stand” – the idea that national development requires leaders who invest in communities outside their ethnic or regional base. Senator Kalu, with his extensive network stretching from Bende to Sokoto, has become one of the few voices modeling that philosophy in action.
Supporters argue that Nigeria needs more nation builders than sectional politicians. From Calgary, AB, Olufemi Adegbulugbe echoed that sentiment, describing Kalu as “a man that I strongly believe is a Nation Builder and Nigeria is in serious need of Nation Builders.”
The Arikilla Road unveiling is likely to spark fresh debate on the role of senators in national integration. Whether viewed as philanthropy or strategic leadership, the project positions Kalu as a senator whose marketability and acceptability now cross every regional line in the country.
