Nigeria has abandoned intellectual leadership, according to former presidential contender Pat Utomi.
In an interview with Arise Television, Utomi claimed that Nigeria’s issues stemmed from the nation’s 1999 transition away from military leadership.
He claimed that democracy has been hollowed out and public life has been poisoned by the rejection of ideas in favor of naked power.
When asked what he had learned about Nigeria from his life that he wished he had known sooner, Utomi responded that the nation’s fight should be seen through a long historical lens.
He remarked, “Reverend Father George Ehusani reminded me of Socrates a few days ago.” “If what I have preached for the majority of my life has not yet shaped Nigeria, I should not feel bad,” he attempted to reassure me. Although Socrates was urged to consume poison, Western civilization was founded on his ideas. I am therefore meant to take solace in the possibility that Nigeria would rise to prominence as a result of the thoughts I shared after I am gone.
Utomi insisted Nigeria has a special historical duty and stated he still wanted to see improvement during his lifetime.
He declared, “I think Nigeria was given to humanity to redeem the crushed dignity of the Black man and to reverse the road to serfdom paved by colonial oppression and slavery.” “If our generation focuses on being a redeeming generation, we may leave with the impression that we contributed to making Nigeria the catalyst for that redemption.”
There was a time in our history when people stopped appreciating ideas. Obafemi Awolowo was a deep philosopher in his 30s and 40s, according to his writings. He continued, “If you listen to Fela Anikulapo Kuti, he was one of the greatest philosophers of all time.”
He claimed that military control and oil revenue caused the final break.
Power without ideas causes long-term damage, Utomi cautioned.
