₦airaland Forum

by Abdulsalam Abdullah


Pat Utomi, professor of political economy, has unveiled members of a shadow cabinet to provide policy alternatives to the federal government.

Speaking in Abuja after a two-day retreat of ‘The Big Tent’, Utomi named Nana Kazaure (information), Riwang Pam (security), Nike Omola (women and gender development), and Peter Agada (infrastructure) as members.

He said the cabinet will not compete with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government, but offer expert reviews of government policies.

“The progress of any government is to ensure the welfare of the people,” ARISE TV quoted Utomi as saying.

“There must be alternative views and reviews to help government move in the right direction.

“Legislators were not elected to execute projects, to do otherwise is to make them slaves who go cap in hand begging the executive.

‘’With this kind of practice, the members of the legislature will not be able to perform one of their basic duties, which is checks and balances.’’

Utomi said he pitched the idea of a shadow cabinet to the late former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2007, and declined an offer to join his government.

He said Nigeria lacks the political will and national strategy needed for development, citing the coastal highway project as an example of unilateral policymaking.

The professor also faulted the federal government’s approach to agriculture, saying the sector must move beyond “hoes and cutlasses”.

Utomi asked the government to prioritise insecurity and embrace state police.

On the African Democratic Congress (ADC), he said its emergence as a coalition party offers Nigerians a credible alternative.

“The coalition is a work in progress, using value-driven projects to move the country forward,” he said.


BACKGROUND

On May 5, Utomi announced a shadow government under the Big Tent Coalition, describing it as a credible opposition to President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

The DSS filed a suit at the federal high court, asking the court to declare Utomi’s shadow cabinet unconstitutional and restrain him from making public comments or staging rallies.

The secret police told the court that Utomi, who was abroad at the time but returned June 6, planned road shows to incite discontent under the guise of free speech.

The DSS warned such actions could mirror the 2020 #EndSARS protests, risking public disorder, riots, and large-scale violence if not stopped.

Utomi later expressed frustration with the authorities’ actions, saying he may consider leaving the country over efforts to suppress his voice.

EpicDude123:
Pat we move
ADC we move
Tinubu is a goner.......gbmhfhfgd

Otunskii:
The current government needs to be replaced. They've nothing to offer aside hardship, hunger and multidimensional poverty

success1smyn:
Prof Pat Utomi is a man I like very well.

But a shadow cabinet seems treasonable. Be careful

Edoreborn:
Anything to unseat this failure is welcome ooooo..This govt made things so expensive,,normal stock jeans wey men dey buy as low as 7k,,now if u no get 30k nothing for u.. people no dey even too buy clothes again..Na person wey food no dey in belle go dey reason jeans?

Islie:
https://www.thecable.ng/utomi-unveils-shadow-cabinet-backs-adc-as-alternative-platform/

Konquest:
Is Pat Utomi this jobless? A supposed technocrat who managed Volkswagen Nigeria back in the day and anchored "Patitos Gang" and more should NOT be wasting his precious time cheaply seeking attention with this shadow whatever and on needless drama. This dude is NOT even a grounded politician tbh.

There's a lot more to be done in the private sector as that is what majorly drives or leapfrogs any country's economic ecosystem. Go and watch the documentary "The Men who Built America" then you will understand BETTER.