Renowned political economist and founder of the Centre for Value in Leadership (CVL), Pat Utomi, has called for the establishment of a “thoughtful guardian class”—a cadre of wise individuals who could give advice when policies or actions deviate from what makes sense for the country.
Speaking during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, he said, “The heroics of the things that we did to save other Africans, we took no lessons away from them.
“Now, if we were wise people, we would have a thoughtful guardian class that would tell us when we begin to go away from what makes sense. Look, this is what happened to Liberia, that’s how they got there. This is how Sierra Leone got to where they are. This is why Somalia got to the points that they got to. But we have blocked our ears to thinking people.”
He criticised the current political elite for prioritising personal wealth and status over national development. “We have allowed the political class, which the only thing that matters is get money, get money and SUV. Politicians don’t know how I look at them. When I see the big motorcade, I look at them, I say, ‘there’s an idiot going.’ The hungry country, we can’t spend the resources of our country to do what we need to do to fix it, but our egos are driving us down,” Utomi lamented.
His remarks reflect deep concerns about ego-driven governance and the lack of mechanisms to keep leaders accountable, highlighting the urgent need for institutional reforms and a more principled, visionary approach to leadership in Nigeria.
Melissa Enoch
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