Prof. Pat Utomi, a political economist criticized successive Nigerian governments for consistently treating the country’s youth as if they were “idiots.”
In an interview with Channels TV on Thursday, January 2, Utomi stated:
“Governments in Nigeria have not been trustworthy, let’s be honest. They have repeatedly treated young people as if they were idiots. This is unfortunate because many of Nigeria’s early governments were led by young people. If you look at military rule, most of the leaders were in their 20s and 30s. However, the military’s command structure, coupled with the influx of oil wealth, created the conditions for a new class system to form in Nigeria.”
He continued, emphasizing the importance of trust in governance:
“Any government that fails to acknowledge that it is not trusted is wasting its time. The first step is to build trust, and this starts with a genuine commitment to doing the right thing. There are clear models for how trust is built, but the first step is simple: do what you say you will do. This is how you build what’s called an ’emotional bank account.’
Every time you fulfill a promise, you make a deposit into that account. But when you fail to deliver, you make a withdrawal. Ultimately, whether or not people believe you is determined by the balance in that emotional bank account.”
