Before he became governor in 1999, Orji had already built one of the most forward-looking companies in Nigeria with branches all over the world. SLOK has grown into a formidable conglomerate controlling equity holdings in diverse multinationals within and outside Nigeria. The company owns the fast-growing First International Bank (The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, South Africa, Liberia and Botswana), SLOK Airlines registered in 1994, and the SUN Publishing Limited, publishers of the Sun and Soccer Star Newspapers. It has also managed the fastest-growing shipping outfit in the past 10 years.
In politics, he is a household name. He served as a member of the Federal House of Representatives from 1992 to 1993, and held two key positions of deputy chairman of the Finance and Internal Affairs Committees. He moved the famous Dual-Citizenship Rights Bill in the House.
Orji Uzor Kalu (born April 21, 1960) is the chairman of SLOK Holding and the Daily Sun and New Telegraph newspapers in Nigeria, who served as the governor of Abia State, Nigeria from May 29, 1999, to May 29, 2007. 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 a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the founder/chairman of Board of Trustees of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA). He was the party’s presidential candidate in the April 2007 general election. He is currently a member of the ruling party (APC) after he officially announced his resignation as a PPA BOT.
He was a director of many organizations including: Hallmark Bank and Unipetrol. He was a member of the National Sports Commission under the chairmanship of Chief S.B. Williams between 1989 and 1990, and Federal Government Commission on the Re-grading of Traditional Rulers.
Kalu attended Christ the King School Aba and Government College, Umuahia. After studying at Barewa College, Zaria, he enrolled in the University of Maiduguri where he studied political science. During his time at the university, Kalu became a student activist, and participated in the “Ali Must Go” riots against the education minister. His participation resulted in his suspension. While his fellow students later took the school authorities to court, Kalu left school to build his own business.
With only $35 to his name that he had borrowed from his mother, 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 that would consist of a number of successful companies, including the 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.
Kalu became the youngest Nigerian to receive the National Merit Award from President Ibrahim Babangida, at the age of 26 in 1986. He was selected as the Nigerian Chamber of Commerce’s Industrialist of the Year, and awarded the Humanitarian Award of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka’s Humanitarian Club, the Volunteer Award of the International Association of Volunteers, the National Merit Award, the EU Special Award in Brussels, and the World Bank Leon Sullivan Award.
Kalu has a degree from Abia State University, a Certificate in Business Administration from Harvard University and honorary doctorates from the universities of Maiduguri, Abia State and University of Nigeria Nsukka.
Kalu headed First International Bank Limited at the age of 33.[6] He also stewarded Nigerian commercial relations with China’s SinoPacific Shipbuilding company while serving as a principal of SLOK Holding.
Kalu is involved with the Njiko Igbo Movement, whose purpose is to help secure the presidential seat for a Nigerian citizen of Igbo extraction; an Igbo has only held the presidency for six months since Nigeria’s independence.
Chief Dr Orji Uzor Kalu has over 200 traditional titles to his honour and several books to his credit.
Some of the titles are:
• AHAEJIAGAMBE OF IGBERE
• OLUIGBO
• TUKURAN GWANDU
• ZANNA MU’AMALAM OF DIKWA
• BANNA ZAKI OF LAPAI
• KACHALLA MISAU
• KACHALLA BIU
• BARDEN MATASAN KEBBI
• MMILI NYILI ENYI OF NRI KINGDOM
• ARO OF OGBOMOSOLAND
• KOLO OF BORNO
• AARE BAALORO OF ISOLO
• AGUNECHE ABIA
• AKU ZURU IGBO OF EZIAMA, IMO STATE
• ODEZULUIGBO OF NNOKWA, ANAMBRA STATE
• ISIBUIGBO OF ATTA IMO STATE
• OMENANWATA OF IGBOLAND
• ASHIPA SERIKIN MAYEGUN OF IBADAN
• BABA METU OF IKARE, EKITI
• GARKUWAN KANO
Presently he is contesting for Senate of Abia North.
Let The Good People Of Abia North Come Out In Mass To Support Chief Dr Orji Uzor Kalu (OUK).
HE IS THE BEST FOR THE SEAT.
HE HAS ALREADY STARTED CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ABIA NORTH & WILL DO MORE……
DO YOU KNOW THAT THE ROAD CONSTRUCTION FROM UMUAHIA-OHAFIA WAS ATTRACTED BY OUK.
LET’S JOIN HANDS & VOTE HIM IN.
GOD BLESS OUK
GOD BLESS IGBERE
GOD BLESS ABIA NORTH
GOD BLESS ABIA STATE.
GOD BLESS NIGERIA
Whoever That wrote This about Dr. Orji must ne out of his senses. Did You ever live in Aba or You where paid to write This crap. We know our former governor, dont tell us about him. The Next time You do, u Will get a well written publication of the former governor O.U.K.