Without values we cannot make progress - Pat Utomi

Prof Pat Utomi who spoke at The Platform an annual programme organized on October 1^st by the Covenant Christian Center a Lagos based Pentecostal Church headed by Pastor Poju Oyemade said Nigeria will only make progress if the right values and good cultures are imbibed. “Without values we cannot make progress.” He said Singapore experience is a good example of one man that changed the value system. He said Singapore had only a natural port but was transformed by the values enshrined. He reiterated that If Nigerians don’t change the culture of dying small for another person the country will not move forward.

“Young people must understand that progress is about our values.” Pat Utomi believes that good Leaders change values. He said it is not about building roads or providing temporary infrastructures. What makes progress is shaping the values of people. According to Professor Utomi if Nigeria has no good culture of maintenance the policy of construction of roads will sooner or later amount to nothing.  He said if these roads are built they have to be maintained and it is the maintenance culture that will make the difference. Nigerian leaders tarred roads but they did not change culture. And that was what differentiated Nigeria and Singapore

He said leaders are important but there good policies of creating a strong value system is more important. "Barak Obama during his first speech in Africa said what Africa needs is strong institutions not strong men." He set institutions set boundaries that are enduring.

He said so many people are suffering in businesses because the institutions are weak in Nigeria. He cited a case of a man whose important letter to a  company abroad was thrown into the dust bin simply because it was from Nigeria.

Professor Utomi said when people lose in culture they lose plenty. He stated that the youths in Nigeria must understand that there is need for changing culture and approaching the future more tactical and pragmatic. He listed the culture of “Delayed gratification, Respect for the dignity of the person, Eye service in the work place” among cultures some lost and some imbibed.

Prof Utomi said corruption is high in the system today because Nigeria has a culture that promotes corruption. He said it is a pity that in Nigeria “we take something that is not our own to buy some things we don’t need to impress neighbours we don’t like.” He asserted that it is lack of culture that has made Nigeria weak in the fight against corruption.

Professor Pat insisted that leaders must be focus and they must desire to enshrine a culture that will bring about meaningful development in the country. He also affirmed that Nigeria is greatly endowed therefore the only problem is that Nigeria do not want to think. “If you give thinking people Sokoto state they will make it wealthier than Bayelsa” with all its oil. He said for instance, there is need to decongest Lagos but people cannot be forced out of Lagos yet good thinking can do that. “We need to decongest Lagos, but people can’t be forced out of Lagos but we can attract people out of it.” Professor Pat said, “We must go for a new thinking and then develop our value system.” According to the Professor the value of the Blacks and their respect depends on Nigeria. He concluded by saying Nigerians should be self-giving and not self-seeking.

Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah in his paper titled, “Nigeria: Euphoria, Hysteria and Dementia, still a long walk to freedom” said God has specially favoured Nigeria and have blessed the country greatly because the way the last elections went and the way the victory and defeat was handled was a miracle. But the Bishop raised a heart searching question about corruption, which he put as, “if corruption is evil how come we are so comfortable with it?” he said there is corruption everywhere one goes in Nigeria. He advice Nigeria not to say the war against indiscipline, poverty or corruption had been won but chart a course of bringing lasting solution to the menace. Haven gotten through all the challenges Nigeria is still standing, this shows that there is great future and glorious one, the Bishop said.

He again put up the rhetorical question, “what kinds of country do we want to be?” He said the critical mistake Nigerians are making is that they think government is about good men, according to the Bishop, human goodness and capacity to govern is not the same. He took the audience through history bringing readings from various coup speeches delivered in Nigeria since 1966 and observed that they all had one important issue to address which was to better Nigeria. He blamed lack of performance and meaningful progress in Nigeria on what he called, “accidental Leaders” that Nigeria have been having. Bishop Kukah said, “Not all leaders are in the office.”

He said, “Buhari has opportunity to fight corruption.” Therefore his advice is that Nigeria need to set standard that is acceptable. Bishop Kukah lamented that “today many good people are doing bad things.” He said he has been privileged to meet all the leaders in Nigeria starting from former president Shagari except for two, and they all seem to be genuinely interesting in fighting corruption and building Nigeria; but he wondered where the problem has always been.

Bishop Kukah called on Christians to wake up to the challenge of bringing the desired change and progress in Nigeria. He said, “It is not conceivable that the word of God will live side by side with the kind of decadence in our society.” He said Christians are “guilty bystanders.”

1^st October, 2015 edition of the Platform is the 10^th Edition of the event. The Platform is coordinated and organized by Pastor Poju Oyemade the founder and the head of Covenant Christian Center in Lagos. The Church also organizes similar event every May 29. This programe have attracted resource persons from Europe and America to come and brainstorm on the possible solutions of nation building.