Are we beginning to sense the first wave of new tidings in Nigeria…or what?
234Next.com reports that some ‘Honorables’ have been busy trying to get bills passed at the national assembly. The new site states:
“Members of the House of Representatives are now rushing to sponsor bills following their poor rating in a recent assessment of their performance since their inauguration in June 2007….About 10 members of the House, including its principal officers, are said to have, in the last one week, approached the committee on Rules and Business to have their proposed bills listed for consideration by the House.”
And it appears the indefatigable Pat Utomi is at it again…he may be up to something with his “Alliance for Progress” idea. Pat announces in the Nigerian daily:
“We begin today by erecting the Alliance for Progress. It is designed as a partnership between the private sectors, civil society and Nation-builder Politicians across partisan divides, for the purpose of helping build institutions that support democracy and the economic well being of people. The early emphasis will be an Electoral Process Reform, institutions of Wealth Creation and institutions of Security, Law and Order.”
One major limitation of Pat over the years has been his inability to create a solid and reliable bond with the Nigerian grassroots, and from what I can see from the sideline, the “Pat utomi tendency” may still be at work: an over-reliance on the Nigerian elites. See this advertorial:
“An Alliance for Progress meeting on behalf of Prof. Pat Utomi, would be holding at Golden Gates on the 10th of July, 2009. It’s a fundraising dinner organized for all who have interest in electoral reforms, and practical solutions to ensuring that the people we vote for in 2011 and beyond win! If you are interested in being a part of this dinner with the greats, the entry ticket is N25,000 and N10,000 for young professional” Source: The Sin of Negligence
I hope Pat sees the need to take his campaign further than the confines of cosy restaurants into the dusty streets of the Nigerian hinterland where the battles of democracy will be fought and its rewards most appreciated.
Several hat-tips to Pat Utomi for his resiliency, his action is very much in line with the clarion call issued by Obama in Ghana.
However, the dilemma of many Nigerians in the Diaspora interested in seeing a better Nigeria has always been this: “how to effect change remotely, from the comfort of their stations overseas?” Is there more that can be done beyond the regular remittance? Some questions to chew on…
Good luck to Pat Utomi, I hope he finds what he’s looking for this time around. And just as suggest, he must move out of his comfort zone to where it matters most — graddroots. Isn’t that how Mimiko did the impossible in Ondo state? He needs to learn from him.
July 16, 2009 at 10:29 am