‘Nigeria of today worse than Abacha era’ — Pat Utomi

A Professor of Political Economy, Pat Utomi, has lambasted the administration of President Bola Tinubu, saying that Today’s Nigeria is worse than the military era Sani Abacha.

Utomi said this during an interview on Nigeria Info 99.3FM while discussing the state of the nation and recent concerns raised by the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria.

According to him, the frustration expressed by the Catholic leaders reflects a wider feeling among Nigerians, stressing that the Catholic Church has a structured process through which its positions on national issues are developed.

The professor pointed out that groups within the Church, including the Justice, Development and Peace Commission, contribute to discussions on public matters before issues are eventually considered at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, CBCN.

“The bishops have had a meeting before they went to see the president. The speech delivered by Cardinal John Onaiyekan generally reflects the collective concerns of the bishops, although individual members may still hold personal opinions,” Utomi said.

Comparing the current state of the country with the military era under Abacha, Utomi said Nigeria is now in a worse condition, blaming part of the challenge on the failure of the 1998 transition from military rule to civilian government.

“I think we’re in a worse condition than under Abacha. There’s no doubt about it,” he added.