23 Nov 2006 |
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The significance of an Utomi Presidency and why your support is critical In the run up to the defeat of the now disgraced third term agenda, some Nigerians stood out and pitched their tent with the Nigerian people. Among these individuals is our very own Dr. Patrick Utomi. Why is this narrative necessary? It becomes necessary to dispel any insinuation that Dr. Utomi is in this race for any self serving agenda. Far from it, he has spoken out repeatedly against unconstitutionalism in the face of personal risk and most importantly at a time when latter day presidential aspirants kept studied silence and some even gave tacit support to the third term agenda. In one of my contributions to Nigerian political discourse, I made the following observation; Because of this kind of (bad) leadership, we as a people have been tuned to forever criticize and compare one bad government to another. Now it is my humble opinion that we need to do more. The Wole Soyinkas, Anthony Enahoros et al have done their part, the torch should pass on to younger Nigerians both in the Diaspora and in the motherland, all hands must be on deck to wrestle Nigeria out of the hands of the thieving class that has become its albatross- When talk alone is cheap- January 22, 2006, www.nigeriavillagesquare.com
Some have questioned Dr. Utomi’s travels to
Some of the people he has met on the campaign tour include, market women, community leaders, labor leaders/activists, student leaders, the Obas of Lagos, Benin and Mushin, the Asagba of Asaba, the Obi of Onitsha and prominent individuals like Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Chief Olu Falae, former President Shehu Shagari, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and pressure groups like the Ijaw youth movement, Urhobo progressive union etc. In all, between September and October 2006, Dr. Utomi has visited cities from
Others have questioned Dr. Utomi’s belief that the Nigerian renaissance will be driven significantly by the Nigerian Diaspora. And some have gone further to dismiss foreign remittances as an insignificant percentage of the Nigerian GDP.
But in May 2005, IRINnews.org, an arm of the United Nations, released a report that said remittances to
The United Nations report stated that counting only officially recorded receipts, remittances in 2002 represented 1.3 percent of GDP in sub Saharan Africa. In this region, the single largest receiver is
Besides their earning potentials, the Nigerian Diaspora also possesses some of the best trained professionals in various disciplines. The second largest black owned business in
To those who are not in the know,
Dr. Patrick Utomi understands this much and that is why in between his many consultations with the average Nigerian in the motherland, he also makes time to honor fundraising events in North America and Europe, most of these events are organized for him by ordinary Nigerians in the Diaspora, most are professionals and ordinary citizens doing extra ordinary things. It should be noted that this is perhaps the first time in Nigerian recent history that ordinary folks are engaging in activities to uplift their motherland without expecting any personal gain but rather making significant sacrifice for the common good. We in the Diaspora have certainly heard many tales of Nigerian presidential aspirants doling out stolen money to organize events in foreign capitals, not only are the Utomi events sponsored by resident Nigerians, they also raise whatever amount they could to support the candidate. This is a clear departure from the archetypal Nigerian politics; these are people giving out their hard earned money because it is the right thing to do! There was also the story of the market woman in In the words of Professor Mobolaji Aluko, “of all the aspirants that have declared so far of his genre, Pat Utomi is such heads and shoulders high above them in all departments that it is trite even to say so”
Your support is critical in the days and weeks ahead leading up to the December 18, 2006 Action Congress convention, all hands must be on deck to ensure that Dr. Utomi emerges as the flag bearer, the dispossessed in Nigeria and their brothers and sisters in the Diaspora should leave no stone unturned to make sure that this shining example of what Nigeria can be is not stopped in mid stream. Abdulmumin Yinka Ajia is the Chair-(Media) Utomi Political Action Committee- North America
For more information, visit www.patutomi2007.com
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