A political economist and public intellectual, Professor Pat Utomi, has said that Nigeria must deliberately move away from elderly leadership in executive political offices if the country is to make meaningful progress.
Speaking on Channels Television’s current affairs programme, ‘Politics Today’, on Thursday, Utomi said nobody above the age of 70 should contest for executive political positions such as president and governor.
He stressed that Nigeria’s current challenges required energy, inclusiveness and a clear sense of national direction.
According to him, leadership renewal was critical to rescuing the country from its deepening political and economic crises.
“Nobody over the age of 70 years should run for an executive position, whether it is governor or president,” Utomi said.
Speaking on the evolving dynamics within Nigeria’s opposition politics, particularly speculation around the future political ambitions of former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, Utomi dismissed suggestions that Obi could settle for a vice-presidential slot in future elections.
“Peter Obi will contest for the presidency. The day he becomes somebody’s vice president, I will walk away from his corner,” he stated.
Utomi warned that Nigeria’s political elite often mistake short-term control of power for sustainable governance, arguing that such thinking has left the country fragmented and economically stagnant.
“We want to get politicians to think that all they need is ground power and everything will be okay because they are doing it for a moment. But the country is not in a position to really work seriously together,” he said.
He also noted that Nigeria’s deep divisions, exclusionary politics and lack of national cohesion have made genuine economic progress almost impossible, stressing that sustainable development, including green growth, cannot thrive in an atmosphere of conflict and uncertainty.
“Green growth does not take place without peace and a clear direction. What we do by working together will show that we can get there.
“When you have the kind of divisiveness and exclusion that Nigeria currently has, economic progress does not take place. Forget about four per cent GDP growth. You get fooled because prices move up or down, but that is not real development,” Prof. Utomi argued.