My Biggest Joy Is Celebrating My Birthday With Pensioners, Physically Challenged, Others- Ben Kalu

It was an emotional moment and great show of love for humanity, when pensioners in the state, physically challenged persons, children from orphanage homes, the less privileged among others, gathered in Bende Local Government Area, the country home of the Deputy Speaker of the  House of Representatives, Rt Hon Benjamin Okezie Kalu, to mark his 53rd birthday anniversary.

These special persons, defaulted every possible challenge, came out in their numbers to felicitate with their son and brother, who also doubles as the number six citizen of the country.

Our reporter observed that the event recorded unprecedented jubilation from guests, as they were not only treated to sumptuous meals but were given palliatives of bags rice, cartons of spaghetti, tin tomatoes,groundnut oil, cartons of  seasoning cubes, bags of garri,beans, beverages, toiletries.Among others were cartons of noodles, mattresses,mat, mosquito treated nets,duvet covers, flip flops and of course cash gifts.

Speaking with the Deputy Speaker to know his motive for coming down from Abuja to celebrate his birthday with this class of persons, said he was instructed specifically by God to celebrate his birthday with the aforementioned persons, adding that they need all the love they could get.

 Rt Hon Kalu noted that leadership is about the people, therefore,any good leader should put the people first.

“Leaving Abuja and coming here to celebrate with these people gives me so much joy. I’m happy and i feel fulfilled seeing smiles on them. This is what leadership is about”,he said.

The federal Lawmaker maintained that the aged/elderly are very important personalities in the society and despite how important they are, nobody tells them,they love them, stressing that in the bid to cover up the existing gap,he chose to celebrate his 53rd birthday anniversary with them.

He announced that the event would be a yearly event for the purpose of giving a sense of belonging, providing food items, offering medical attention, among others.

The event equally witnessed free medical check up and the  treatment of  over 4000 persons with sight impairment and as well, the distribution of medicated eye glasses to the affected ones.

For Benjamin Kalu, inculcating the physically challenged, widows,motherless babies into his birthday celebration was the best form of celebration, emphasizing that the action has nothing to do with politics, but simply an act of obedience.

“This is not politics but absolute obedience to God. This is what God instructed me to do. I had to empty my warehouse to provide these things. What is the essence of keeping these items in the warehouse when there is hunger in the land?

“We are only giving out food items this year, next year will be bigger with a lot of empowerment materials to be rolled out”.

The Deputy Speaker further reiterated that the event had nothing to do with politics, but solely the desire to feed the masses, regardless of their political affiliation, religion, constituency or tribe.

He, however, lauded the leadership style of the nation’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, especially in repositioning  the South East region,which he added has orchestrated the massive defection of politicians into the APC.

The Deputy Speaker, further called on other key players in Abia politics to join the moving train of the All Progressive Congress, describing the APC as a party with the light and renewed hope for the common man.