I Am A Witness To Crushing Poverty – Pat Utomi

Pat Utomi has dumped his ambition to become Nigeria’s president to vie for the seat of the governor of Delta state.

Utomi’s new political move is coming seven years after he won the ticket as the presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in 2011.

The economist is currently seeking to run for the governor of Delta state under the All Progressive Congress, APC.

Utomi made his new political move known when he submitted his nomination and expression of interest forms at the National Secretariat of the APC in Abuja.

He has expressed that he was a witness to crushing poverty as young boy growing up in Delta state.

In a chat with journalist on why he intends to run for the seat of the governor of Delta state, the economist said, “If you have a conscience and you watch a people live a fate worse than death, then your spirit must be on the verge of being broken. However, I stand today to say that all hope is not lost.”

Continuing, he said, “Being a witness to crushing poverty lived by people across a small pond from oil production platforms, and being a witness and also a recipient of complaints from various quarters that family members continue to die untimely due to accidents triggered by the hardly motorable state of Delta roads leaves me with a feeling of despondency.

“Delta State receives very huge allocations from the federation account, yet extreme poverty exists in the state. Little of these fiscal transfers from the federation account that enter the state circulate in the state.

“In Delta State, my conscience kills me some more with the death from avoidable causes of every man, woman or child, due partly to poor healthcare in the State.

“Studies show that the monies enter state coffers and bolt out. If the velocity of the money is such that it touches a few more people even briefly, prosperity will visit many presently poor and it will consolidate with the thriving few.

“Our youths are not the leaders of tomorrow, but of today, and they are our future. They will be appointed to play key roles in our administration,” he said.