Pat Utomi, a professor of political economy, has slammed President Bola Tinubu’s administration, claiming that today’s Nigeria is worse than Sani Abacha’s military regime.
Utomi said this during an appearance on Nigeria Info 99.3FM, where he discussed the state of the nation and recent concerns made by Nigeria’s Catholic Bishops.
According to him, the frustration expressed by Catholic leaders reflects a broader emotion among Nigerians, and he emphasises that the Catholic Church has a systematic mechanism for developing stances on national problems.
The professor noted that groups within the Church, such as the Justice, Development, and Peace Commission, participate in public discussions before issues are considered by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, or CBCN.
“The bishops held a meeting before going to see the president. Utomi stated that Cardinal John Onaiyekan’s speech generally reflects the bishops’ collective concerns, though individual members may still have personal opinions.
Comparing the current state of the country to the military era under Abacha, Utomi claims Nigeria is in worse shape, blaming part of the problem on the failure of the 1998 transition from military rule to civilian government.
“I believe we are in a worse situation than under Abacha. There’s no doubt about it,” he said.