By Ijeoma Agudosi-Lagos
Professor Pat Utomi has dismissed the austerity measure of the federal government which it put in place in response to the dwindling oil prices describing it as a “Panic Reaction”.
He said the response purely demonstrated lack of leadership in the management of public resources by the present adminitration.
Also former CommonWealth secretary general, Chief Emeka Anyaoku lack of character and integrity as the bane of Nigeria’s development.
Both men spoke on thursday in Lagos at the 18th Center for Values and Leadership (CVL) colloquim in honour of Dr. Michael Omolayole and Chief Chris Ogunbanjo.
Utomi said “when we talk about leadership and character, politics in Nigeria today is dominated by people who are selfish, they are self serving people who think more of themselves.
Leadership requires certain discipline and character is the ability to do in public as you say in private”.
He said there is character deficiency in Nigeria’s leadership but however there are people with character but still are unable to do what is right.
On the declining oil price, Utomi said he had sent early warning signal about the impending scenario. ” I expected what is happening today I am shocked that there are people who are in the position that do not know what to do.
That shows how unprepared we are for leadership because it was obvious it was coming”.
Utomi said he did not believe in governments austere measure but said government can only discipline it self by cutting un-necessary spending, cut appetite of politicians who think that the position of authority means abuse of public resources.
“When I say abuse, I don’t mean corruption and killing, I mean for people who think they are permanent secretaries, special advisers, ministers that it is their right to fly first class every day to go to some un-necessary meetings in Europe or America and all of that costing the country billions of dollars, government is supposed to be very tightly managed”.
Speaking in the same vein Chief Emeka Anyaoku said the society should mobilise to address leadership based on acceptable values and culture.
“We have declined, when I was young we were brought up to believe that character was by far the most important possession of any young man or woman.
These days the impression is that materialism, money has taken the place of character in the prioritization of peoples pursuit”.
He therefore advised young people to go back to values of which people of his generation were brought up.
Responding the honour bestowed on them by CVL Dr. Omolayole and Chief Ogunbanjo urged youths to shun materialism and uphold character.
They said if they could achieve much through diligence, then it is possible for all to look up to character as key to achieving success in life.