I Didn’t Steal Abia’s N7.2bn, Says Kalu

A former Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, yesterday denied allegations that he stole N7.2 billion when he governed the state between 1999 and 2007.

Kalu averred that the state did not have such amount of money when he was governor.

Kalu made the denial while continuing his testimony before Justice Mohammed Idris of a Federal High Court in Lagos State to prove his innocence of the allegation leveled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The former governor said there was no way he could steal what was not in existence.

“Abia State doesn’t have such amount. Even the day I was leaving, we borrowed money to pay salaries. Abia State doesn’t have even a billion naira in any account at the time I was governor,” he said.

The former governor who is currently the Chief Whip of the Senate also spoke about the difficulties he encountered in running the state with allocations from federal government.

He said: The monthly allocation of Abia State when I took over in June 1999 was N168 million. It was hovering between N168 million and N172 million monthly. “The first month that I came in, there was even no money to buy diesel. I spent my own money to run the state for six months.

“In the year 2000, monthly allocation was between N170 million and N189 million. In 2001, it came to about N302 million and N380 million. I can recollect in 2002, it was almost the same and in 2003 when the revenue allocation was changed, we were having about N400 million.

“The highest money I got as governor came from 2004 when we have about N1 billion and from that time up till May 2007 before I left, what we had was N1.6 billion.

“Throughout my stay in office, I never owed workers and pensioners.”

Kalu also told the court that he was a successful businessman before venturing into politics.