Professor Pat Utomi, a one-time presidential aspirant has
responded on varying issues concerning next month's
election and the piece written by former CBN Governor,
Chukwuma Soludo.
He said, "The firestorm generated by Chukwuma Soludo’s
well reasoned commentary on the place of issues in the
2015 electioneering campaign has somehow become the
core of the campaign. What a way to come from outside
and define agenda.
"Of course I do not agree with all the points marshaled by
the erstwhile CBN Governor and Patito’s Gang member, but
not to commend his citizen duty of engagement or indicate
as reprehensible the resort to ad hominen bashing of the
former Economic Adviser instead of providing Facts to
counter the views he had raised. That is issues based
campaign. I will myself raise logic to support and dispute
some of the points in the Soludo intervention.
"I do agree with Soludo that issues matter. I also think that
those who turn to divisive emotion-laden typecasting of
others rather than issues pertaining to the well being of the
Nigerian people do a grave disservice not only to democracy
but to the long term common Good of all.
"The Soludo thrust of criticism sounds like an attack on the
statist perspective that intervention can generate jobs and
economic growth. Even as one who likes to see government
out of the way, I find the approach worrying because
beyond the Keynesian logic that brought the ultimate
capitalist state, the US, out of the Great Depression with
initiatives like the Tennessee Valley Authority in
Infrastructure, there is more recent example of post 2008
global financial crisis and the stimulus packages of the
Obama Administration, and now Europe turning to
Quantitative Easing, not to knock the wall street/Main street
tag team approach to ensuring prosperity.
"Soludo’s solutions sometimes sounded like Deepak Lal on
the poverty of Development Economics. I think that if we
see current oil price slum as an opportunity rather than a
threat then we have to see a role for government in the way
Lee Kuan Yew used state intervention when Singapore was
prostrate in 1965, as Nigeria is today.
"This leads to another point I am not in agreement with
Soludo on. He talks about cost of programmes and the fact
that low oil prices mean you cannot finance a big idea. In
1965 Singapore’s main revenues came from rent for the
British Naval Base and the British had decided to shut all
bases east of Eden. The decision of leaders of the United
Malay, National Organisational (UMNO) to eject Singapore
from the Federation that was thought to be the only hope
left. Singapore, out of pocket, and all dressed up with
nowhere to go. Then they rolled up their sleeves, got
creative, transmitted the right values and found leadership
that inspired and had integrity. Today the small country
probably has the largest concentration of billionaires per
capital on earth.
"Here in Nigeria, shortly after self government, in the
1950’s, Nnamdi Azikiwe as Premier of Eastern Region was
anxious to match the free education policy of Chief Obafemi
Awolowo. Palm Produce did not fetch as much as Cocoa in
the Market. The civil servants led by the new Permanent
Secretary in Finance, Chief Jerome Udoji thought it could
not be done because of limitations of money. Zik insisted
and accused Udoji, in Parliament, of trying to sabotage his
government. After 40 percent of the Eastern Nigeria budget
of 1957 had gone to education and was still inadequate, the
Ugoji team suggested the introduction of fees for Primary 1
and Primary 5. But leadership kicked in. A philosophy called
“Ibu anyi danda” raised a formula that created a partnership
between government, the communities and missionaries
that enabled the East leapfrog the gap in education between
the East and West.
"In both cases the difference was leadership. At the centre
in Abuja for some reason that may be from exposure, or
whatever, does not inspire as Lee Kuan Yew, Nnamdi
Azikiwe and Michael Okpara did. Money is not everything in
making dreams come through.
"Among the many lessons we will learn, if we begin to
operationalize the cash transfers initiative of APC, a concept
that helped Inatio Da Silva pull Brazil out of ‘potential’ into a
global economic powerhouse, is that we may not need as
much cash as Soludo projects and that corruption and goal
displacement is so high in a bloated public service that the
savings will more than be adequate. Besides from Kayode
Fayemi and Rauf Aregbesola we learn that with such
programmes in Ekiti and Osun that the numbers projected
are often exaggerated. Given our abuse of census we are
likely to find much fewer people in those brackets. Check
with the Bill Gates Foundation on satellite imagery studies of
target population groups.
"Having stated my major point of disagreement, it is useful
to reflect on some other points raised by Soludo.
"His broadside on austerity measures pronouncement and
the road to austerity is a true, fair and proper read. No
question that we walked with our eyes open into a repeat of
1982. In many of my speeches and my 2006 book WHY
NATIONS Are Poor, I recall how the Iranian revolution
pushed oil prices into the stratosphere of USD 40 a barrel.
We went reckless with champagne and even importing sand
and big men bought Rolls Royces. We managed to borrow
ourselves into a dept trap. On this round we moved up
private jets and buying up Dubai.
"When this current boom started with India Rising and China
producing I recall on several occasions calling for fiscal
responsibility compact in which flows into the distributable
pool, the FAC account, not go above $40 a barrel, with
additional revenues up to $70 a barrel price going to a
stabilization fund. This fund would be available were prices
to drop below $40 to be used to ensure a constant budget
funding up $40 in lean times. Beyond $70 it should flow into
a future fund. I have been singing this song for several
years but the technocrats say the politicians insist on
sharing the whole money and say of talk about saving for a
rainy day that it is pointless planning for the rain when it
was already pouring torrents. My retort was what is so
wrong in resigning to make a point and force public
conversation to educate the people because these
politicians may be greedy but they surely do not hate their
children. They have only acted in ignorance. I point them to
young Mahathir Mohammed in Malaysia who disagreed
with the position of the then Prime Minister and spoke up.
He was dropped from the government where he was a junior
minister, and expelled from The United Malay National
Organization (UMNO) the dominant party at that time. Out
of government he wrote a book: The Malay Dilemma. That
triggered soul searching that finished with the resignation of
the Prime Minister. He was brought back into the Party. Not
long after Dr Mahathir Ibn Mohammed became Prime
Minister and the history of Malaysia changed for good.
"What does it take to lead such change- Genius? No. I draw
from the Ronald Reagan experience in the US. President
Reagan was not a genius. Some think he probably already
had Alzheimer disease when he entered the White house.
But his values were clear as was his vision. He found the
right people and an America, in retreat, was revitalized,
opening the way for teen and twenty American young stars
to create a new industry with the .com revolution. Ironically,
I have said elsewhere that the Buhari movement somehow
reminds me of the coming of Ronald Reagan.
"Let me close with a caveat. My response is a citizen
response. My prism on this is not partisan. But I am a card
carrying member of the APC. The emergence of the APC is a
culmination of my life’s quest as an institutionalist to see
the dynamic of two balanced political parties. I was sure
that without competition between parties that are equals
progress would continue to elude Nigeria So I longed for and
worked for the scenario we have today. But I see in the
torrent of abuse on Chukwumah Soludo for speaking truth
to power and worry this thing we have worked hard for, not
in any pursuit of any self interest, but for the advance of the
common good, could be threatened by those who fail to
understand the very idea of the public squares and the
triumph of the ideas rather than emotional outbursts that
result in tension and violence. I have read unprintable things
on line and in so many e-groups, some more offensive than
Charlie Hebdo cartoons from both sides. This is poison we
must curb. It is a double blow when those who follow this
track are well educated. So let us leave this business of
certificates and uncompleted PHDs and hateful portrayals
of opponents in caricature from the cross to throw backs of
earlier life of candidates that seem like Hitler’s Goebbels at
work let’s examine vision of society of challenges and the
record of incumbents. Lets ask people, regarding
incumbents, is your life better today than it was four years
ago and to the challengers how can you make these same
lives much better four years from now. To win elections
from intimidation, a shower of insults and trying to diminish
opponents rather than engage their minds can only produce
pyrrhic victory. The worst such “victory” would be to win an
election and lose a nation through bitterness that makes it
difficult to get people to work together to advance the
shared good of the people. For people like me the public
sphere is about the pursuit of the elevated immortality. This
comes when you do what is right and if providence
beckons, as it did for Mahathir Mohammed, lee Kuan Yew
and Ronald Reagan then you live a name that time cannot
find an eraser to rub off. Those who negate the opportunity
for progress to blossom and the triumph of the human spirit
to bring progress deserved die a thousand times while they
still inhale and exhale no matter the title they get for their
place is in infamy," he said.

Pat Utomi

WOW as in WORDS OF. WISDOM. This Jihardist just knew this now

What has this one said.. please someone should brief me in woludos words

What has this one said.. please someone should brief me in soludos words

This is the type of candidate APC should have nominated.

I totaly agree with Prof Utomi, what we need in Nigeria presently is creative leadership that will tackle the enormous problems facing this nation. That is why I find it troubling the kind of unprintable poison I read online from both sides. Nigeria dont need such because of the tremendous task facing us as a nation.

Badmanship, i have read several online articles that contains and conveyed tip-top ideology as regards to how this country can be well governed and I'm not moved by what Utomi posted. Ideas on paper are not materialised on paper or ethernet. Revolution is different from ethnic war. What would rather happen in Nigeria will be war and not revolution.

This is the reason i love apc. The caliber of people they have.