Professor of Political Economy, Pat Utomi, said Nigeria would have taken a different political and economic direction if former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua had survived his illness and completed his tenure.
Utomi made the assertion during an interview on Csuite Cafe, where he described Yar’Adua as a patriotic leader who genuinely wanted to improve the country.
Yar’Adua died on May 5, 2010, after serving as president for about three years. He was succeeded by his then Vice-President, Goodluck Jonathan.
Recounting his encounter with the late president, Utomi said Yar’Adua once invited him to the Presidential Villa to convince him to join his administration as a minister.
According to him, he declined the offer, explaining that he believed he could contribute more by providing independent advice from outside government.
Utomi said Yar’Adua, however, disagreed and argued that he could have a greater impact from within the government.
He said, “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 that the meeting took place on a Friday, when Yar’Adua was meeting members of his economic team.
He said the former President made a case for his inclusion in the government, but he explained that joining the administration was less important to him than making a meaningful impact.
Utomi recalled, “One Friday, he invited me over to the villa to try and persuade me to join his cabinet. We met in his office. He was in the meeting with the economic team.
“He made the pitch on why I should join his government. I said to him that the thing is not joining but impact, and I don’t think I can have impact in this kind of PDP environment.
“The best I can do as a patriot is to give advice anytime of the day. He said that is not good enough, inside you can make a difference more than what you can say outside.”
The professor said Yar’Adua continued trying to persuade him for several minutes before he explained that joining the cabinet would be difficult because he had already established what he described as a “shadow government.”
According to Utomi, the late President offered to meet members of the group and encourage them to join his administration so they could work together for the country.
Utomi further stated, “He said he was willing to talk to all of them and say to them that they can come and join his government to build the country together. That is a spirit of leadership that this country needs desperately.”
Utomi said he subsequently proposed another option, promising to provide Yar’Adua with the names of seven Nigerians he believed had the capacity to contribute meaningfully to his administration.
“I went back and wrote the names of seven people across Nigeria who I thought had capacity and could make a difference,” he said.
Utomi said he handed the list to Stephen Oronsaye, a former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, for onward delivery to Yar’Adua.
However, he said Yar’Adua became ill around the same period and travelled abroad for medical treatment, leaving uncertainty over whether the list ever reached him.
Utomi said, “I gave it to Steve Oronsaye to give him. He took ill around that time and went abroad. The rest is history.
“Someone later told me that Yar’Adua did not get the list and that he must have died thinking he was snubbed.”
