A former Labour Party presidential aspirant who eventually stepped down for Peter Obi, Prof. Pat Utomi, has said the country has failed to work right from the very day those in power turned it into their personal properties instead working for the people they were supposed to serve.
Utomi who made the statement on Wednesday through a virtual message at the instance of the ongoing Double Diamond Platform Global (DDPG) Leadership Series held in Lagos, said existing political structures in the country needs to be changed if Nigerians really want to come out of their current misery.
He urged the people to stage protests similar to the Orange protests carried out in Ukraine where the citizens poured into the streets every day, carrying white and green flags and demanding that their country be given back to them.
He added that right now the Nigerian state has been hijacked, noting that there is “a state capture“.
According to him, good leadership should seek to uplift the common man.
“That is the starting point of quality leadership and then you want everybody to feel ownership.
“When you begin to completely shut down a whole population, whether it is because of religion or ethnicity, you compound the process of trying to deliver.
“Good leadership can come from anywhere… The best is the one that mixes up everybody, Muslim, Christian and everybody feel comfortable,” he said.
"Nigeria needed leaders of competence, compassion and commitment to overcome its challenges," he added.
Utomi's words are in line with that of Peter Obi who at a recent conference organized by the Revival House of International Church (RHOGIC), Abuja, said the country has been hijacked by people who should never have been anywhere near the seat power.
He said these crop of politicians do not care about the people but their own pockets. He warned that unless the people rise against this evil plaguing the country and force a change, things would only get worse for everyone.
He said: “We can’t allow this gangsterism to continue, Nigerians should take back their country. 70 percent of those who are in politics today should not have any reason to be there. I have said it, politics in Nigeria is a case where lunatics have taken over the asylum.
“This is the only country where the worst is leading. I was a trader and gradually entered into politics. When you take far more than you need, you are sick.
“How do you explain that one person took N80 billion, it is not greed, it is sickness. When you take one billion that is greed, but when you take N80 billion that is sickness. Mad people have taken over our politics. If we get young people with the competence and capacity to be there, things will change.”