Renowned Nigerian economist and political activist, Professor Pat Utomi, has disclosed that he turned down a ministerial appointment offered to him by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. Utomi made the revelation in an interview with Sunday Sun, explaining that he declined the offer to avoid having his voice and political independence compromised within the system.
Utomi, who has consistently maintained a critical stance on governance in Nigeria and recently launched a “shadow government” to scrutinize President Bola Tinubu’s administration, recounted that President Yar’Adua personally spent two hours attempting to convince him to join his cabinet. Despite the late president’s efforts, Utomi insisted that remaining outside government would enable him to be a more effective advocate for good governance.
“I have been asked to be a minister before. I turned it down. The last person who did that was President Yar’Adua and he went the extra mile. Two hours, he was talking to me to persuade me to join,” Utomi said. He explained that although he holds degrees in political science and understands the importance of public service, he was wary of what he described as the “corporatist state” that characterizes post-colonial African politics where opposition voices are often co-opted into government, only to be silenced or weakened.
Utomi said Yar’Adua respected his views and believed he could make a greater impact from within government. The meeting, which took place on a Friday at the presidential villa, ended with Utomi proposing an alternative. “I now said to him, look, I’m a patriot. You can wake me up at anytime, at 2:00 a.m, ask for my views and I will give it to you honestly. I told him that what he needed to do was to find seven good people and bring them in,” he recalled.
The late president reportedly agreed with the suggestion and asked Utomi to help identify the seven individuals. Utomi said he returned to Lagos, compiled a list of the recommended candidates, and delivered the envelope containing the names to Steve Oronsaye, then a top government official. However, he never received a follow-up.
Tragically, President Yar’Adua fell ill shortly afterward and passed away in May 2010. Utomi later learned from a senior source that the president may never have received the list and possibly believed Utomi had rebuffed him during his final days, a perception he strongly refutes. “I didn’t snub him,” Utomi said. “I was told by somebody very senior that he probably never got that envelope because he thought I snubbed him at the time he was dying, which is not correct.”
