In A Hurry
Highly respected veteran actor, Zack Orji, has been under fire lately for drumming support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The Nollywood Icon, a few weeks ago, did a viral video in which he reeled out some of the achievements of President Tinubu, specifically commending him for running an Eastern inclusive government and stating a list of significant things his administration has done for the south east region of the country in just two years. He concluded by imploring Nigerians to give President Tinubu the chance to fix Nigeria. He emphasised that the President was the kind of leader Nigeria’s economy needs for positive change.
Hear Him: “It is 55 and a half years since the Nigerian civil war ended and for the first time since the war ended in the history of this country, a president in the person of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has set up the Southeast Development Commission (SEDC) along with its subsidiary, the Southeast Investment Company, with a take-off capital of N150 billion.
“Today, the Southeast has a minister of works for the first time in the person of His Excellency, Engineer David Umahi, former governor of Ebonyi State. President Tinubu has also approved the allocation of three billion dollars for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the long-abandoned eastern rail line corridor, to boost transport and economic activity.” He stated that President Tinubu ended the region’s infrastructural neglect, marginalisation, isolation, and abandonment. He added that the Tinubu-led administration signals the dawn of a new era characterised by transformation, inclusivity, and improved national connectivity.
“The Southeast today is witnessing a new wave of federal attention and infrastructure development under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The main objectives of the Southeast Development Commission are to drive sustainable growth, promote investment, support infrastructure development and improve the standard of living in the Southeast region.
“And the overall vision is to position the Southeast as the preferred investment destination in Africa by 2035. The President’s Southeast Superhighway project is another landmark legacy project that will end infrastructure marginalisation in the Southeast. Ladies and gentlemen, the Bible says in the book of John 8.32, Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. And in the book of Isaiah 1.18, the Bible says, Come now and let us reason together”, Orji noted.
The celebrated actor continued: “These landmark legacy projects in the south east truly encapsulate the three ‘R’ concept which was voiced soon after the Nigerian civil war, that is Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation. In addition to south east region, there are other landmark projects going on in other geopolitical regions of this country. What can we say in respect of all of these? Fellow Nigerians, relax, President Tinubu is fixing Nigeria. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, well done and we appreciate you big time. May God almighty continue to keep you, inspire you, strengthen you, sustain you, lift you and perfect and embellish everything that concerns you and your dreams and aspirations for this country in the mighty name of Jesus Christ our Lord and saviour,” he concluded.
To say that the Igbos found this loud endorsement coming from one of their own highly unacceptable would be putting it mildly. It is no secret that many Igbos from the eastern region of the country have insisted that they have been marginalised by the Tinubu administration. They have accused the Tinubu government of denying Igbos key ministerial positions and shutting them out of governance. They also question why there has not been visible federal government projects going on in the region. And despite that the likes of Minister of Works, Engineeer Dave Umahi and other easter governors such as Hope Uzodinma, Charles Soludo and Alex Otti have been telling their indigenes the impact of PresidentTinubu’s administration in the development of their respective states, many Igbos still insist the President has done nothing to favour them. They allege that Zack Orji and other Igbo prominent personalities supporting the President are only doing so for their own selfish gains. They say, for Zack Orji, he is broke and no longer relevant in the industry and so it is expected that he can support any presidential candidate who’s willing to put food on his table. What they do not know is that Zack Orji and the President have shared a cordial relationship that has existed before now.
Many may not know, and the few who did may have forgotten that Zack Orji indeed supported the then presidential candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, months leading to the presidential election. He was not a card carrying member of the APC, but he just decided to stand alone, despite south east’s preference for Peter Obi as president and their loud and scathing criticism of Tinubu. According to him, he was simply impressed with the accomplishments and all inclusive government of Tinubu while he held sway as the then governor of Lagos.
“My support for Bola Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu is both experiential and personal, I have lived in Lagos for over 40 years. I have always known this man as a chief crusader of the democratic consolidation of Nigeria,” Orji said.
Zack Orji further described Tinubu as a man who stands for justice, equality, fairness and national cohesion. He explained that during Tinubu’s rule as the governor of Lagos state, he had permitted members of various other ethnic groups to rule as decision makers to run the affairs of the state.
He said: “I have always known him as a man who stands for justice, equity, fair play, and national cohesion. In his time as the governor of Lagos State, he ran an all-inclusive government, drawing people from different ethnic extractions into the executive council as decision makers to run the affairs of the state.
“There is nothing like this. People who came from different ethnic extractions were allowed to be part of the decision-making of Lagos State. I know with a high degree of certainty that, on a national scale when he becomes the president of Nigeria, he will do likewise.”
Lastly, the thespian also stated how voting for Tinubu would transform the economy of Nigeria for good.“This is what we need in this country. Though we differ in tribe and tongue, we stand tall and proud in solidarity and brotherhood. I know that when he becomes the president of this country, he will turn the economy around. Join me to support this man and turn the fortunes of this country around for the better,” he said.
And eversince then, from the moment he declared his support for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023, Zack Orji has remained a staunch supporter of the President, regardless of the hue and cry of his kinsmen who have shown clearly that the president holds no special place in their hearts.
Undaunted, Zack Orji remained unrelenting in his love and admiration for the government of President Tinubu. And as fate would have it, his support for Tinubu paid off when, in 2024, last year, he collapsed in his house and needed to undergo brain surgery. It was President Tinubu and wife, Remi Tinubu, who came through for him.
Orji,shared the terrifying details of his medical emergency leading two critical surgeries performed on his brain in Nigeria. He narrated how he collapsed in his bathroom and lost consciousness for over five hours before he was discovered.
“I slumped in the bathroom, and I can only say that it’s by the grace of God that I’m alive today because I passed out. I was out for like five and a half hours before help came,” Orji stated. The actor was initially found by his colleague, Benedict Johnson, who with the help of another actor, known as Labista, transported him urgently to the National Hospital in Abuja.
“Benedict Johnson rushed to the house, and I was there on the floor, incoherent. I couldn’t even stand because when he raised me, I slumped again, and he had to call another colleague whom we call Labista. So the two of them lifted me on their shoulders from the second floor to the ground floor and took me to the National Hospital,” Orji explained.
Orji’s first surgery was conducted on January 1 by Dr. Biodun Ogungbo, a noted neurosurgeon. “He’s an awesome guy,” Orji praised.
A month later, a second procedure was required after scans revealed a residual blood clot.
During his recovery, Orji received support from an array of prominent figures, including the President Bola Tinubu and his wife, Oluremi; wife of the Vice President, Nana Kashim Shettima; the President’s son, Seyi Tinubu and several ministers.
“I’m grateful to God Almighty and I’m also grateful to so many people who stepped in. The President of Nigeria, the First Lady, the wife to the Vice President, the President’s son, the Minister for Women’s Affairs, the Minister for Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy, the Minister for Works, and a whole lot of other people,” he said.
Orji also noted the international concern for his health, with calls pouring in from across the globe. “I was receiving calls from South Africa, from the UK, from the US, from some of them were willing to, they were asking me, how can we help? How can we be of assistance? So, it was overwhelming the way people responded to the whole thing,” he expressed. After his ordeal, Orji was advised to seek a post-surgery assessment in the UK, where he consulted with Dr. John Yeh, further ensuring his path to recovery.
This very traumatic and near death experience, no doubt, must’ve endeared the President and his family even closer to Zack Orji and deepened his support for the Tinubu led administration. Not many knew about this very critical moment in Zack Orji’s life which could’ve turned tragic if the President, his family and key members of his administration had not stepped in. For this, Zack Orji will remain eternally grateful to President Tinubu and his support for the current government will remain unwavering even as he continues to face threats to his life and condemnation from his kinsmen.
WALE LAWAL
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