Nigeria’s Youth Treated Like Idiots, Says Pat Utomi

Kehinde Fajobi

Political economist Prof. Pat Utomi has criticised successive Nigerian governments for their poor treatment of young people, accusing them of being untrustworthy and dismissive.

“Governments have been not trustworthy in Nigeria, let’s be very frank,” Utomi said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Thursday.

“It has treated young people like they are idiots, repeatedly, and this is sad because most governments in Nigeria were first run by young people.”

He highlighted that many military rulers who led Nigeria in the past were in their 20s and 30s.

However, he noted, “something in the nature of the command hierarchy of the military, compounded by oil coming in, led to a beginning crystallisation of a new class system in Nigeria.”

Utomi, who founded the Centre for Value and Leadership, said the national youth conference planned by President Bola Tinubu’s administration in early 2025 could only succeed if leaders acknowledge past mistakes.

“Any government that does not begin with recognising that it is not trusted is wasting time. So, the first thing that it needs to do is start building trust and that begins with honest commitment,” he said.

He argued that building trust requires consistent honesty and accountability.

“Every time you say you are going to do something and you do exactly what you say you are going to do, you make a deposit in the emotional bank account. Every time you say you are going to do something and you don’t do it, you make a withdrawal.

“Ultimately, whether you are believable is a function of the balance in that emotional bank account,” Utomi explained.

Utomi also advised the government to apologise to young Nigerians and pledge to rebuild trust.