“Nigeria is a failure right now; democracy is not working.” ~ Utomi
Renowned economist Prof. Pat Utomi has expressed his displeasure on the current issues in the country, describing the country as a “failure,” attributing the setback of the country to ‘’lack of alternative thinking and the capture of both the legislature and judiciary.”
He made this known during an interview with The Punch, where he criticized the country’s political and economic decline.
He expressed his dissatisfaction with the current National Assembly, stating that it’s the “worst thing that has happened to the country” as it has ‘failed to provide a platform for meaningful debates that could help solve Nigeria’s problems.’ According to him, the political class is more focused on their selfish interests instead of the common good of the people.
“Nigeria is a failure right now; democracy is not working. We all know that; anybody who does not know that is fooling himself. We have total judicial capture; we have legislative capture, so there is no alternative thinking in the country,” Utomi said.
He continued that during times of crisis, the nation should adopt a “war cabinet” approach, where the government and the citizens pull together to solve the problems. He further stated that the government doesn’t lead by example. Instead, they live lavishly while insisting Nigerians sacrifice.
“When you have that kind of problem, you come to the point that James Robinson was making when he says a classic example is Nigeria which knows what to do but cannot seem to do it,” he noted.
Utomi highlighted the tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, recalling his decision in 1976/1977 to adopt low-profile governance during the oil crisis, cutting down on personal expenses and travel. He compared this with the current political class, accusing them of mismanagement of public resources.
“Anybody who watches the way people in power spend public resources cannot take seriously any statement that this is a time of sacrifice. So, the problem begins with them. Intense political commitment is not there,” he said.
He argued that the political actors must recognize that the country is a crisis akin to war. He stressed that a political will and a unified approach are needed to turn things around. He warned against politicians who are more focused on stockpiling money for future elections.
He also addressed Nigeria’s adherence to the IMF and World Bank policy, stating, “IMF can have a template, but what is responsible for the outcome is not their template; it is how local actors politically live their way through doing the right things for growth and development for their country.”
He further lamented that Nigeria’s failure comes from the political class’s lack of patriotism, ignorance, or self-centeredness, preventing them from thinking of the common good.
“This is where Nigeria has been a tragic failure because the political class and its elites, particularly the legal elite, have not acted as patriots either because they are ignorant or because they are too pathologically self-centered to think of the common good,” Utomi concluded.
