Political economist, Professor Pat Utomi, has said that political class has systematically plundered Nigeria by denying the future generations what belong to them.
Utomi made the observation during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today.
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The professor was commenting on the dire condition of the country’s economy.
He said, “I have spoken about this matter several times in the past and provided a template for how we should deal with the issue. The issue is coming home to roast; is coming home to haunt us in a way that a generation in Nigeria, young Nigerians, who are already angry will get even angrier, much more angrier if they actually know what is responsible for where we are now in terms of the economy and what we are about to pass to them because of our willful mismanagement of the Nigeria’s economy.
“Let me go back. In 1996, an economist of London interviewed me and in the sense of exasperation about how we are mismanaging crude oil revenue and all of that. I actually said in that interview that if we could manage to get our general experience and politicians’ collaborators and buy an island and give them access to all of Nigeria’s oil, whatever; if they promise not to show their faces in anything concerning Nigeria then Nigeria will be much better off. The comment of the economist, you know economists always have opinions on everything, was fair comment.
“Any responsible father will put away some and make sure that he manages in away that when the raining days come we can pull from it. Nigeria’s political class has systematically plundered Nigeria by denying the future what belongs to them.”