Professor Pat Utomi, a political economist and former presidential candidate, has said Nigeria might have experienced a different political and economic trajectory if former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua had survived his illness and completed his tenure.
Utomi made the statement during an interview on Csuite Cafe, where he described Yar’Adua as a patriotic leader who was genuinely committed to improving the country.
Yar’Adua died on May 5, 2010, after serving as Nigeria’s president for approximately three years. He was subsequently succeeded by his vice president, Goodluck Jonathan.
Reflecting on his relationship with the late president, Utomi recalled that Yar’Adua once invited him to the Presidential Villa and personally tried to persuade him to join his administration as a minister.
According to Utomi, he turned down the offer because he believed he could make a greater contribution to the country by remaining outside government and offering independent advice.
However, Yar’Adua reportedly disagreed with his position, insisting that Utomi could achieve greater results from within the government.
Utomi said the late president remained committed to convincing him to join the administration.
“Nigeria would have been a different place had Yar’Adua lived. He was really and truly a committed patriot as president.
“He may have made a mistake here and there, but he was a committed patriot who wanted Nigeria to move forward,” Utomi recalled.
The political economist said the meeting occurred on a Friday while Yar’Adua was engaged with members of his economic team.
He explained that Yar’Adua made a strong case for his participation in the government, but he maintained that his primary concern was making a meaningful impact rather than simply occupying a government position.
Utomi recalled that he told the president he did not believe he could achieve much within what he described as the political environment of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the time.
He said Yar’Adua responded that working from inside government would give him a better opportunity to influence decisions and contribute to national development.
According to Utomi, Yar’Adua continued to persuade him for several minutes before he explained that he had already formed what he referred to as a “shadow government.”
Rather than dismissing the idea, Utomi said Yar’Adua offered to meet members of the group and encourage them to join his administration so they could collectively contribute to the development of Nigeria.
Utomi described the gesture as an example of the kind of leadership he believes Nigeria urgently needs.
He later proposed an alternative arrangement, promising to provide Yar’Adua with the names of seven Nigerians whom he believed possessed the expertise and capacity to make a difference in government.
Utomi said he compiled the names and handed the list to Stephen Oronsaye, the former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, for onward transmission to Yar’Adua.
However, Yar’Adua became seriously ill around the same period and travelled abroad for medical treatment.
Utomi said he was later informed that the list might never have reached the former president.
He added that Yar’Adua may have died believing that he had deliberately refused his invitation to serve in government.
According to Utomi, the experience remains a reflection of Yar’Adua’s willingness to seek out capable Nigerians and bring them into government in the interest of national development.
He maintained that Yar’Adua’s death prevented Nigerians from seeing how far his administration could have gone if he had remained in office and completed his presidential tenure.
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