Kalu Idika Kalu (born October 14, 1939) is a Nigerian politician. He served as

Finance Minister of Nigeria The Minister of Finance of Nigeria is a senior cabinet official in the Nigerian Federal Executive Council. The Finance Minister's directs the Nigerian Ministry of Finance and ensures that it operates in a transparent, accountable and efficient ma ...

, Minister of National planning and Transportation Minister. He served twice as the minister of finance. He was a presidential aspirant in the 2003 Nigeria general elections, under the platform of The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

Early life

He was born in Ebem Ohafia, in Ohafia local government Area of

Abia state Abia State ( ig, Ȯha Abia) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, it is bordered to the north and northeast by the states of Enugu, and Ebonyi, Imo State to the west, Cross River State to the east, Akwa Ibom State to the ...

, South eastern

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. He is of the

Ibo people The Igbo people ( , ; also spelled Ibo" and formerly also ''Iboe'', ''Ebo'', ''Eboe'', * * * ''Eboans'', ''Heebo''; natively ) are an ethnic group in Nigeria. They are primarily found in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States. ...

, one of the largest tribes in Nigeria. He studied at

Kings College Lagos King's College, Lagos (KCL) is a secondary school in Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria. It was founded on 20 September 1909 with 10 students on its original site at Lagos Island, adjacent to Tafawa Balewa Square. The school admits only male students ...

from 1954 to 1960. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Economics in 1964 and Masters of Arts in Economics in 1965 and a Doctorate Degree in Economic Development and Public Finance in 1972 at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

. He was a Stimson Fellow of

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

Career

He was a founding member of the Justice party, but contested for President on the platform of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) during the 2003 general elections. He participated in research work on developing countries and lectured at the university level. While at the World Bank East Asia and Pacific Programmes Department, Kalu contributed significantly to micro- and macro- economic work on the economies of Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. He served in various official positions in Nigeria and outside of Nigeria including; * Commissioner for Finance & Planning in Imo State * Minister of Finance * Minister for National Planning * Minister of Transport * Chairman,

ECOWAS The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as in French and Portuguese) is a regional political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. Collectively, these countries comprise an area of , and in ...

Council of Ministers * Chairman, development committee of the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...

He is a member of the

All Progressives Congress The All Progressives Congress (APC) is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Nigeria, along with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Founded on 6 February 2013 from a merger of Nigeria's three largest opposition parties, the ...

(APC), joining after leaving the People Democratic Party (PDP), as he believes in the emergency of a strong two party system in Nigeria.Why I joined APC -Idika Kalu https://thenationonlineng.net/why-i-joined-apc-idika-kalu/

Personal life

He married Imo Kalu, with whom he had five children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalu, Kalu Idika King's College, Lagos alumni Living people 1939 births Finance ministers of Nigeria All Progressives Congress politicians Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria) politicians