A political economist, Prof Pat Utomi, has said previous and present Nigerian leaders have painfully disappointed the country and its citizens.
Utomi said this on Wednesday in an interview on Arise Television.
He said that self-love exceeded care for the people, and the ultimate reason for public life should be giving oneself for the common good of all.
According to him, Nigeria is a worst case example, especially because it doesn’t do a lot more good than some of the other countries where these things happen.
“To be fair, I think that it’s not just Nigeria. It’s Africa at large in many ways, but Nigeria is the worst case example. Nigeria has been painfully disappointing because of the quality of people who took public positions.
“These people got to positions in public life in which self love exceeded care for the people and the ultimate reason for public life, which is the pursuit of immortality, seeking to live forever, because you sacrificially gave up yourself for the advance of the common good of all.
“For me, it was doubly troubling, because from a faith perspective, I struggle not to judge people. I recognize things that they do that I don’t like, that I don’t think are proper, that I think hurts society and the common good.
“But I try so hard not to be judgmental and call this person evil when they call me all kinds of things, I think that I have an obligation to treat them with charity.
“So it compounded and complicated my public ways, especially in more recent history, when the most terrible thing that the political class has done to Nigeria is make hate a part of our culture,” he said.
