Professor of political economy, Pat Utomi, has inaugurated a shadow cabinet under the platform of The Big Tent coalition, proposing it as a vehicle for policy alternatives to the current federal government.
During a press briefing in Abuja, following a two-day retreat, Utomi named Nana Kazaure (Information), Riwang Pam (Security), Nike Omola (Women and Gender Development), and Peter Agada (Infrastructure) as key members of the shadow cabinet.
According to him, the initiative is not meant to rival the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration but to provide expert policy reviews.
“The progress of any government is to ensure the welfare of the people,” Utomi told ARISE TV.
“There must be alternative views and reviews to help government move in the right direction.”
He criticized the trend of lawmakers engaging in project execution, arguing that it undermines their constitutional role.
“Legislators were not elected to execute projects, to do otherwise is to make them slaves who go cap in hand begging the executive,” he said.
“With this kind of practice, the members of the legislature will not be able to perform one of their basic duties, which is checks and balances.”
Utomi revealed that the concept of a shadow cabinet was first pitched to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2007, which he followed up by turning down an offer to join Yar’Adua’s government. He also pointed out Nigeria’s absence of a coherent national strategy and political will, using the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway as a case of poorly thought-out unilateral policy.
He further criticized the federal government’s approach to agriculture, stating:
“The sector must move beyond ‘hoes and cutlasses’.”
On national security, he reiterated the urgent need for decentralization, “The government must prioritise insecurity and embrace state police.”
Turning to politics, Utomi declared support for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a viable platform capable of representing Nigerians seeking true alternatives to mainstream politics.
“The coalition is a work in progress, using value-driven projects to move the country forward,” he said.
Recall that on May 5, Utomi announced the formation of a shadow government under The Big Tent Coalition, which he described as a credible opposition to the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
However, the initiative has not gone without pushback. The Department of State Services (DSS) filed a suit at the Federal High Court, seeking to declare the shadow cabinet unconstitutional and to restrain Utomi from making public statements or organizing rallies.
According to the DSS, Utomi—who was abroad at the time but returned on June 6—had planned roadshows which they claimed were attempts to stir public unrest under the guise of freedom of speech. They warned that such actions could mimic the scale of the #EndSARS protests, potentially leading to riots and national instability.
In response, Utomi voiced his dissatisfaction with the government’s approach saying he may consider leaving the country, citing efforts to suppress his voice and the broader civic space.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
