Professor of political economy, Pat Utomi, has firmly ruled out any future bid for public office or acceptance of government appointments in Nigeria, declaring that his focus is solely on the well-being of future generations and not political ambitions or personal gain. Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Utomi emphasized his desire to remain free from the corruption he believes often characterizes public life in the country. Let me state clearly, I will not run for public office, I will not accept an appointment, contract by any government in Nigeria. My only concern is the well-being of the next generation, he said. I have lived my life decently without government money or stealing anybodys thing. I want to take that away from people who talk nonsense like, Oh, he is looking for contract. Utomi also highlighted the importance of a shadow government as a tool for promoting democratic accountability, describing it as a legitimate and structured way for citizens to demand transparency and responsibility from those in power. Nothing can be more democratic than a group of citizens coming together to find a structured way of asking the government to be more accountable. What could be more democratic than that? he asked. He further called on Nigerians to consult the Afrobarometer readings, a respected public opinion survey that has tracked democratic attitudes across Africa since 1999, in order to better understand the continents political trajectory. I usually pre-phase this conversation with what weve done to the African. There are Afrobarometer readings, an annual survey that has been going on since 1999, of how Nigerians, Africans generally, in every country, with all kinds of details. I mean all kinds of details, he said. I want all Nigerians and who really want to understand what has happened to our country to go and study the Afrobarometer readings. Utomi noted that while Africans continue to value democracy, there is mounting frustration over its failure to deliver tangible results. It states that Africans still love democracy, cling to it but they are tired because their democracies are not working, he said. Any serious democrat has to read this data, longitudinal data showing that people are fed up with what we call democracy.
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