Victor EzejaA Professor of Political Economy, Pat Utomi, says Nigerian democracy is dying because its citizens have been unable to come together and ask questions about government policies on critical sectors that affect their lives.
Utomi expressed worry about a dangerous trend of suppressing the voices of citizens, making them unable to criticise government shortcomings and recommend alternative solutions for positive change in various sectors.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelWriting on his X handle on Thursday, the founder of the Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL) expressed concern about how democratic values are fast eroding in the country.
He observed that citizens had more liberty to express themselves during military rule than they do under the current democratic government.
“It was put as a question: Is this how democracy dies in Nigeria. The answer is in the affirmative. This is how democracy died in Nigeria. Where citizens cannot organize themselves to ask questions of their agents,” Utomi wrote.
The founder and former presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said that under Abacha regime, he was one of those who organised a conference in Lagos where Nigerians gathered to have honest conversations about the future of the country, but doing so today is considered an aberration, hence the deployment of state forces to silence voices offering constructive criticisms.
READ ALSO: Our Shadow Cabinet Challenges Politicians To Govern Well – Utomi
“I chaired the planning which came out of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria on the watch of then Fr. Kukah and Ehusani. Now for shadowing democracy hell comes,” he stated.
While recalling his encounter under military rule during the struggle for return to democracy, Utomi said he is not afraid of any persecution as he fights for justice and the entrenchment of good governance.
Utomi recently launched “a shadow cabinet”, which he said is made up of a team of progressive minds who would gather to examine policies of the government across critical sectors and offer alternative solutions for the progress and development of the country.
READ ALSO: Shadow Govt: We Didn’t Launch A Parallel Govt, Utomi Responds To FG
However, members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) kicked against the initiative, alleging that it amounted to forming a parallel government.
The Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday filed a suit against Utomi, accusing him of attempting to destabilise the government of President Bola Tinubu with the establishment of a shadow government.
In the suit, DSS urged the court to grant an order of perpetual injunction to prevent Utomi, his representatives, and associates “from further taking any steps towards the establishment or operation of a “shadow government, ‘shadow cabinet,’ or any similar entity not recognised by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).”
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
