A political economist and former presidential candidate, Prof. Pat Utomi, says the emergence of the #EndSARS protests marked the arrival of citizenship in Nigeria.
He further submitted that Nigeria does not yet have a democracy.
Utomi spoke on Tuesday during the commemorative lecture and public presentation of a book edited by Chido Onumah titled, ‘Remaking Nigeria: Sixty Years, Sixty Voices,’ in Alausa, Ikeja.
The event themed, ‘One Year After #EndSARS, 35 Years after Dele Giwa and the Quest to Remake Nigeria,’ was held to reflect on the assassination of the former Newswatch editor-in-chief and youth activism.
Utomi said, “We need to build citizenship and raise citizens – people who have a passion for a shared humanity. At the bottom of society’s ladder are idiots, people who care just about themselves, and at the next level are tribalists who care only about people who share the same blood or language. For tribalists, everyone who does not share in their parochial base is an enemy.
“When these people move up and become citizens, a shared humanity will drive them to do things that are for the common good of all. This is why the #EndSARS protests, for me, marked the arrival of citizenship in Nigeria.”
The former presidential candidate added that the practice of democracy in Nigeria had been turned upside down.
