Nigeria is dying says Pat Utomi

One of Nigeria’s foremost political economists and former presidential candidate, Professor Pat Utomi, on Saturday said that the country is gradually dying from the actions of its political class.

Prof. Utomi further stated that all general elections conducted in the country since1999 have been rigged but did not name those behind the rigging.

Utomi, who dropped the bombshell as the guest speaker at the 4th Convocation Ceremony of McPherson University, Seriki Sotayo, Ogun State, said that Nigeria is like what the United States of America was in 1979, a country in decline.

”The world says Nigeria has lost its strategic relevance in the world. But can the youths of Nigeria embrace the spirit of enterprise and through it save their country that once was a country of great promise,” Utomi asked.

Giving reasons for his position, Prof Utomi said the poverty level in the country is so alarming that citizens can feel it, and that violence has become rampant, with kidnappings in the South East, South-South and Boko Haram violence in the North East.

“Our politicians are a disgrace, they don’t play by the rules. We have never had free and fair general elections since 1999. I have the fact, all the elections were rigged,” he said.

”In many ways, Nigeria is like America was in 1979, a country in decline.”

Utomi, who spoke on ”Saving Capitalism from the Capitalists” said it is the youth of the country that can save it if given the opportunity like the American youth did in the 1980s.


He observed that the current reality in the country is that government action or regulatory risk is the most likely reason for business failure in Nigeria.