Nigeria’s economic recession consequence of failed leadership –Prof Utomi

He stated this during a‎ Presentation at the 2017 Pre-May Day Annual Symposium of United Labour Congress (ULC) in Lagos.

Professor Utomi who is best known for his hard-fact economic criticisms‎ said stakeholders in their respective places have also failed to play their roles effectively.

“If all major stakeholders saw the economy as one national economy and played out respective check and balance roles irrespective of the position of government, there is strong probability that we could have saved the economy”.

He also stated that knowledge-driven leadership cannot be alienated from a progressive Nigeria. “I wish to add that the continent including Nigeria is in dire need of knowledge-driven leadership that is people centered and very much at home with economic management”.

Labour unions were also not spared in his charge, Utomi opined that there is probably a disconnect between Nigerians and Labour unions, which has warranted the sudden mute to the level of impunity that has overwhelmed the country.

‎”The impunity that was unleashed on the economy has workers as eye witnesses in the various establishments where public funds were looted but no alarm was raised until politicians started their intra and inter party battles. It is either the workers have lost confidence in the leadership of respective trade unions and therefore maintained a golden silence or there is so much distance between workers and union leaders to the point that workers now respect politicians more than union leaders”.

He further reeled out expectations of Nigerians on Labour centers as May 1 is yet another celebration of the Nigerian worker whose wages still remain a tale shrouded by high level politicking”.

“The fall out is that trade unions have to go back to the drawing table to strategize and build new thought leaders who are able to work with government and other stakeholders to guide Nigeria out of recession. I believe that unions should be prepared to make the sacrifice needed to effect the positive changes we all desire as stakeholders in the Nigeria Project”.

Also speaking, the National President of the United Labour Congress,(ULC) Comrade Joe Ajaero affirmed that Nigeria is not only going through economic recession, but also, leadership recession which needs to be properly fixed.

“There is need for us to address this issue of leadership recession, because if we get the issue of leadership very well i think we can get the country properly fixed. The economy is very bad and we are not feeling the so called ending recession; prices of goods are still high and they are telling us we are coming out of recession. We are telling Nigerians that how can you be coming out of recession, yet you can’t buy bread at affordable price; garri, beans, rice. Maybe they are leaving in a different world from us”.

The unionist did not fail to identify the harm importation is causing to the Nigerian economy, saying that Nigeria needs to critically and seriously begin to look inward.

“We need to stop importation of products we can produce. Petroleum products is still being imported, when boys in the Niger Delta are refining at good capacity. We need to look inward, until then our economy will continually be in recession”.

However, the theme for this year’s May day celebration‎ is ‘Workers in a recessionary economy’ and the labour centre has vowed not to relent in the ongoing minimum wage negotiations with the Federal Government.

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