Utomi urges diaspora to save Nigeria from bad governance

POLITICAL economist, Prof. Pat Utomi, yesterday, told a hybrid meeting of Nigerians in Dallas, Texas, in the United States, they are duty bound to champion massive intervention to rescue Nigeria.

Noting that the diaspora remit more mo ney home than Nigeria earns from crude oil sales, the former Presidential Adviser, who is leading a coalition of national redemption move

ments, said the diaspora are high stakeholders with a moral obligation to halt drift in Nigeria.

He pointed out the example of India where a coalition of the diaspora and change agents swept off the old order, brought Narendra Modi to power, and altered the structure of the nation’s politics.

He said the diaspora, which have higher competences and a global network but are being blocked from national rejuvenation by politicians that thrive on exclusion to achieve state capture, deserve a place at the table.

He lamented that this political class, which continues to exclude women, y outh and intellectuals, while incorporating drug barons and fraudsters, works hard to deny diaspora- voting rights.

Utomi told his audience that the shadow govern - ment he leads has offered an economic revival blueprint that has a critical role assigned to the diaspora.

He said the national economic strategy, built on clusters of manufacturing hubs and technology parks in the six zones of Nigeria, driving global value chains anchored on latent comparative advantage of each zone’s endowments, will produce dramatic turnaround in the country’s fortune.

Referring to Peoples Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress as the same, he said Nigeria must move away from politics of big men to that of big ideas.