Nigerian professor of political economy and management expert, Pat Utomi, says the country has been hijacked and needed urgent rescue from the ‘state capture’ in order for the nation to progress.
Speaking on Wednesday through a virtual message at the instance of the ongoing Double Diamond Platform Global (DDPG) Leadership Series held in Lagos, Utomi urged Nigerian people to stage protests similar to the Orange protests carried out in Ukraine where the citizens poured into the streets every day, carrying white and green flags and demanding that their country be given back to them.
Utomi who was the Lead Speaker at the programme entitled “A Nation in Search of True Leadership”, said national discussions on leadership should be hinged on performance and delivery and not on primordial sentiments.
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Utomi said Nigeria needed leaders of competence, compassion and commitment to overcome its challenges
According to him, good leadership should seek to uplift the common man.
“That is the starting point of quality leadership and then you want everybody to feel ownership. When you begin to completely shut down a whole population, whether it is because of religion or ethnicity, you compound the process of trying to deliver.
“Good leadership can come from anywhere… The best is the one that mixes up everybody, Muslim, Christian, and everybody feel comfortable,” he said.
Utomi expressed regrets that Nigeria was in the present situation because of the structure of the federation.
He doubted the possibility of the country making progress with its present structure of politics, pointing out that” we are in grave danger“.
The DDPG is known for sensitising the public on issues of concern and has been presenting awards to deserving members of the public for their contributions to national growth.
The current programme is intended to help Nigerians to make informed choices ahead of the 2023 general elections.