Utomi: There’ll Be Great Alignment of Patriots to Save Nigeria in 2022

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

Nigerian professor of political economy and management expert, Pat Utomi has projected the coming together of patriotic elements to address the challenges facing the country and salvage her democracy in the coming year.

Utomi, the the founder of Centre for Value in Leadership (CVL) and former presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, said some of the challenges facing the country could be traceable to official profligacy, poor youth empowerment and lack of creativity in governance.

Speaking as guest on the Morning Show of the ARISE News Channel, Utomi said apart from introducing an initiative to bring elected officials to account, there would be special teams that would act as shadow government to understudy what the government was doing and to proffer alternative policy measures.

“So, we are expecting that the year 2022 will be a year of massive recalls of political actors in our country. We will build capacity to show that this is the credible work of the people. Many politicians, who defy the will of the people coming out due to this technology enabled real numbers about what the people feel.

“Another thing that needs to be done is to put together credible teams of Nigerians on almost every aspect of governmental life, so these teams, whether you call them shadow government will on a continuing basis point to what government is doing, the results show the alternative that can work, not just rhetoric’s but practical ones,” he said.

On the solution to the country’s political and economic problems, Utomi said something must have to be done to stop official profligacy.

According to him, a situation whereby leaders and government officials fail to appreciate the desperate economic and social crisis the country was currently facing and busy spending huge resources for their personal comfort did not augur well for development.

“The problem is in the Nigerian people, who apparently have given up hope on our democracy, thus leaving the politicians to do what they like. Because of this, they are killing their country.

“The only solution to this problem is for the people I call the complicit middle to realise that with these fellows, our country is close to its end and to wake up and say, let all these people that had refused to vote in the past – professors, managers – and all those that usually hide in their comfort zones, and if the road find somewhere and buy SUV to realise that Nigeria can turn dramatically.

“This has happened in the course of human history and I am confident that it would happen in Nigeria. My desperate plea to fellow compatriots in Nigeria is that we must completely turn the system over for sake of our children and grandchildren, because if we don’t, I doubt that there will be Nigeria in 2027,” he said.

Utomi, who is also a fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants of Nigeria, said a critical factor in addressing the governance problems of Nigeria is the issue of the right electoral system.

the problem is not this big man or that big man. The problem is systemic, fundamentally anti-progress, because of the attitude of the political class and very importantly, because we don’t have political parties in the country. So, we are going to take a look at the problems of the country and a clear understanding of the way forward. It is a systematic problem and doing it is not, because this fellow is evil while the other is nice. Unless we completely overhaul the system, Nigeria is going to running in circles,” he said.