Orji Kalu Admits Selling Guns To Make Money
Former Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, has admitted that he previously traded in heavy weapons across Africa for financial gains.
He stated that he sold arms to anyone who could afford them, regardless of their intended use.
Kalu made the revelation during an interview on Arise Television on Monday, where he discussed his business dealings in the past and relationships with former and current South African leaders.
Asked whether he was an arms dealer, the Senator representing Abia North answered in the affirmative but explained that he eventually abandoned the business after his parents intervened.
“But my parents, my mother, my father came and said I must stop, and I stopped,” he said.
When asked whether he sold weapons to people who intended to kill others, Kalu dismissed the suggestion, insisting that his primary motivation was making money.
“No, no, no, no, no, no. I was selling guns to make money, whether they blow up it’s not my business,” he said.
The interviewer subsequently asked whether he supplied weapons to the African National Congress (ANC) during its struggle against apartheid in South Africa.
Kalu denied dealing exclusively with the ANC, saying his customers included anyone willing to pay for the weapons.
“No, I was selling to anybody who wants to buy. If you have the money, you want to buy in D.R.C, I sell to you, you want to buy in Namibia, you want to buy…” he said.
Asked where he obtained the weapons, the senator declined to disclose his sources, responding, “It’s only my business.”
He also dismissed suggestions that his former business contributed to the proliferation of small arms in Nigeria, maintaining that he dealt in heavy weapons traded between countries.
“No, no, these are heavy arms that were sold country to country,” he said.
When asked whether he sold weapons to Libya under its late leader, Muammar Gaddafi, Kalu said he sold to anyone who had the money.
“To anybody that had money to buy,” he responded.
When the interviewer suggested that this meant he had supplied arms to Gaddafi, the senator replied, “May his soul rest in peace. He was a good man. If you have money to buy, when I was selling, I would sell to you.”
During the interview, Kalu also traced his relationships with successive South African leaders to his friendship with the country’s former president, Nelson Mandela.
He said Mandela introduced him to other South African leaders, including former President Thabo Mbeki and incumbent President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The senator also expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu would secure re-election in the 2027 general elections, predicting a landslide victory for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Kalu defended the Tinubu administration’s economic policies, arguing that the reforms had stabilised the economy at the macroeconomic level despite the difficulties experienced by households and businesses.
“President Tinubu has been able to stabilise this economy on the macro level. What we are battling now, having stabilised the economy on the macro level, is the micro level,” he said.
He argued that the government’s next priority should be translating macroeconomic stability into improved living conditions, increased manufacturing output, employment opportunities and agricultural productivity.
Kalu also identified improved security and access to raw materials as necessary conditions for manufacturers to expand production.
Acknowledging the economic difficulties facing Nigerians, he maintained that the country was beginning to experience greater economic predictability, adding that reforms often come with temporary hardship.
The former governor further credited Tinubu with improving Nigeria’s international economic relationships and attracting the attention of foreign investors.
On the 2027 presidential election, Kalu dismissed the opposition as politically disorganised, insisting that the APC had a strong grassroots structure beyond the president’s personal political influence.
“President Tinubu will win. President Tinubu has no competition. The APC’s electoral strength goes beyond the personality of the President. The ruling party enjoys a broad political structure and substantial grassroots support across the country.
“What we are seeing on social media is not what is on the ground. Our party is very huge, and the supporters of that party are large. We have huge numbers of people supporting this party,” he said.
He added that APC lawmakers and other political stakeholders were already mobilising support in their respective constituencies ahead of the election.
Kalu also appealed for political stability, urging Nigerians to prioritise national unity.
“The unity of this country is very important. Let’s not question the unity. We allowed President Buhari to do his eight years and go, and we must allow Tinubu to do his eight years and go,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to evaluate the administration’s economic policies based on their long-term objectives rather than the immediate hardship associated with their implementation.
“You can’t do reform without people suffering. You cannot; it’s not possible,” he said.
