- Utomi faulted lawmakers for chasing projects, saying it strips them of their oversight role and weakens democratic accountability.
- Utomi said the coastal highway reflects lack of proper national strategy and stakeholder consultation in federal projects.
The professor of political economy, Pat Utomi, has unveiled members of a shadow cabinet to critique government policies and provide alternatives.
The unveiling followed a two-day retreat of ‘The Big Tent’ coalition held in Abuja.
Utomi named Nana Kazaure, Riwang Pam, Nike Omola, and Peter Agada as shadow ministers for information, security, women/gender, and infrastructure, respectively.
He said the shadow cabinet would not rival the All Progressives Congress but offer expert perspectives to guide the government.
“The progress of any government is to ensure the welfare of the people,” Utomi told ARISE TV.
“There must be alternative views and reviews to help government move in the right direction,” he added.
Utomi condemned the trend of lawmakers pursuing constituency projects, saying it undermines their constitutional role of checks and balances.
“Legislators were not elected to execute projects, to do otherwise is to make them slaves who go cap in hand begging the executive,” he said.
‘’With this kind of practice, the members of the legislature will not be able to perform one of their basic duties, which is checks and balances.’’
He revealed that he proposed the idea of a shadow cabinet to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2007 but turned down an offer to join his administration.
Utomi said Nigeria lacks the national strategy and political will needed for development, citing the coastal highway project as an example.
He criticised the federal government’s approach to agriculture, stressing the need to move beyond “hoes and cutlasses”.
He urged the government to prioritise insecurity and adopt state police as a solution.
On the African Democratic Congress, Utomi described the party as a viable coalition for Nigerians seeking value-driven governance.
“The coalition is a work in progress, using value-driven projects to move the country forward,” he said.
The Department of State Services (DSS) had approached a federal high court to declare Utomi’s shadow cabinet unconstitutional.
In its suit, the DSS asked the court to restrain him from making public statements or organising rallies.
The secret police alleged that Utomi’s planned roadshows, under the guise of free speech, could provoke unrest similar to the 2020 End SARS protests.
Utomi returned to Nigeria on June 6 after being abroad during the court action and expressed dismay over efforts to stifle dissent.
He hinted at the possibility of leaving the country if the government continued to suppress his freedom of expression.
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