You're defending those making your lives miserable

Renowned Professor of Political Economy, Prof. Pat Utomi, has slammed Nigerians who defend the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), saying they are defending those making their lives miserable.

The septuagenarian said this in a Facebook post on Saturday.

“I find it sad to see Nigerians defend this APC government on a daily basis when all it has done is to continuously make life miserable for them,” he stated.

He questioned why citizens continue to support leaders responsible for their suffering.

“Think about that for a moment. People who are suffering because of a government’s policies are the same people defending the government responsible for their suffering. What kind of tragedy is this? How long will Nigerians continue to defend the very people making their lives miserable simply because they share the same tribe, religion or political affiliation?” he asked.

Utomi recounted an encounter with a fellow who claimed it would take Nigeria another 200 years to get better, citing America as an example.

He said, “I began to lecture this fellow about Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore and how it took him just 10 years to lay the foundation for the economic prosperity Singapore enjoys today. This was a country that was literally described as a destitute, poor region by politicians back then.”

The socio-political commentator narrated that Lee Kuan Yew visited Nigeria in the 1960s and later told his people that Nigeria had all it takes to become a global superpower, but was held back by corruption and tribalism.

“Lee Kuan Yew even came to Nigeria in the 1960s, went back home and told his people that Nigeria had everything it needed to become a global superpower, but the only things holding it back were corruption and tribalism. He even wrote about how politicians in power at the time were draining Nigeria of its resources while fellow Nigerians, impoverished by the very policies of these politicians, were busy defending them,” Utomi said.

Utomi said his advocacy was not for personal gain but for future generations.

“I am 70 years old. I am not fighting for anything again because I have lived my life. I am fighting for the future of our children and the generations to come. If we do not come together to end tyranny because of tribal affiliations, religious differences and the scraps we receive from the tables of corrupt politicians, a day will come when our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will ask us questions about what we did when politicians were destroying Nigeria. And we will be too ashamed to give them an answer.

“Imagine looking into the eyes of your grandchildren and having no answer when they ask why you allowed their future to be destroyed. Imagine explaining to them that you defended the people who made their parents poor because those politicians belonged to your tribe or shared your religion. Imagine telling them that you watched your country collapse and did nothing because you were receiving crumbs from the tables of the very people destroying it,” he said.

Utomi added, “If you are allergic to good governance, I feel sorry for you. If your loyalty to a political party, tribe or religion is stronger than your love for Nigeria, then you are part of the problem. No politician is worth sacrificing the future of millions of Nigerian children for.

“As for me, I am not allergic to good governance. And I will never defend any government that makes life miserable for the people it was elected to serve.”