Prominent Labour Party stalwart and political economist, Professor Pat Utomi, has echoed concerns raised by African Development Bank (AfDB) President, Akinwumi Adesina, that Nigerians are poorer today than they were in 1960, describing the current state of the nation as one of deepening misery, poor governance, and elite irresponsibility.
Speaking via his official X handle, Utomi lamented the economic deterioration under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, asserting that Nigerians are suffering more now than before the last general elections.
“Our Children Know More Misery Than Our Parents” – Utomi
Reacting to Adesina’s statement, which noted that Nigeria’s GDP per capita in 2024 is lower than in 1960, Utomi stated that the question of whether life has improved since the last election should be central to any functioning democracy.
“We thank AfDB President Adesina for reminding us our people lived better in 1960, given today’s GDP per capita,” Utomi wrote. “The key question in a democracy is: are you better off than at the last election? All live for their children to be better off, but our children know more misery than our parents.”
Criticism of Lavish Political Spending Amid Widespread Poverty
Utomi also blasted Nigerian politicians for what he described as wasteful public spending and arrogant governance, even as the majority of the population sinks deeper into poverty.
“Still, our politicians walk with a swag and spend public money like drunken sailors while poverty degrades the land,” he said, referencing Nigeria’s long-standing resource wealth, especially the oil boom era, which he argued was squandered through mismanagement and corruption.
He further condemned the government’s tendency to label criticism and data-driven insights as ‘demarketing’, adding, “And they call truth demarketing.”
Ethnic Politics Replacing Development Thinking
In a deeper critique, Professor Utomi warned that the failure of Nigeria’s political elite to pursue meaningful development strategies has led to the entrenchment of identity-based politics.
He said: “The failure to think development and have a plan to move people out of misery has driven the politics of the unthinking politicians to centralize identity politics and elite bargains that place progress in the back burner and spread hate as a motif force of their survival.”
According to Utomi, the current political landscape prioritizes power retention and ethnic bargaining over national unity, economic planning, and the welfare of citizens.
