Political economist and former presidential aspirant, Prof. Pat Utomi, has strongly criticized the Nigerian Senate for allegedly mocking the poor amid the prevailing economic hardship in the country.
The condemnation came in response to an incident during a recent plenary session at the red chamber, where the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, along with other lawmakers, reportedly made a distasteful joke at the expense of the less privileged, raising concerns over the insensitivity of some political leaders towards the plight of the poor.
In a tweet posted on July 28, 2023, Prof. Utomi expressed his distress over the incident.
He wrote;
“I am traumatized by this mocking of the poor by our Senate. In a decent society we should have had resignations by now. To mock the poor is to mock God. I know where Godswill Akpabio was before Obong Victor Attah gave a hand. Better an honest poor than a rich thief politician,”
“I wonder what it will take to make people realize that values shape human progress. Sustainable progress is not possible where culture is in collapse and institutions are dysfunctional. Sadly this seems extant reality in Nigeria. Citizens need to be awakened to where we are,”
“To abuse public trust and mock the victims as is becoming habit of the criminal network of our politicians is to forget how transient power is. All will do well to remember the Judgment of Conscience, the judgment of history, and the Judgement of God. He reigns.”
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