Pat Utomi, professor of political economy, has formally introduced members of a shadow cabinet aimed at offering policy alternatives to the federal government.
Speaking in Abuja after a two-day retreat of The Big Tent coalition, Utomi named Nana Kazaure (information), Riwang Pam (security), Nike Omola (women and gender development), and Peter Agada (infrastructure) as key members of the cabinet.
He clarified that the shadow cabinet is not intended to rival the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration but to provide expert reviews of government policies. “The progress of any government is to ensure the welfare of the people,” Utomi said, as quoted by ARISE TV. “There must be alternative views and reviews to help government move in the right direction.”
Utomi also criticised the tendency of legislators to focus on constituency projects rather than performing their primary role of providing checks and balances. “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.
He revealed that he had proposed the idea of a shadow cabinet to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2007 but turned down an offer to join his administration. Utomi further argued that Nigeria lacks both the political will and a coherent national strategy for development, citing the coastal highway project as an example of unilateral policymaking.
He faulted the federal government’s agricultural policies, saying the sector needs to evolve beyond “hoes and cutlasses,” and urged the government to prioritise insecurity, including adopting state police.
On the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Utomi described its emergence as a coalition party as offering Nigerians a credible alternative. “The coalition is a work in progress, using value-driven projects to move the country forward,” he said.
Background
Utomi had first announced the shadow government under The Big Tent Coalition on May 5, positioning it as a credible opposition to President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Following this, the Department of State Services (DSS) filed a suit at the Federal High Court, asking the court to declare Utomi’s shadow cabinet unconstitutional and to restrain him from making public comments or organising rallies.
The secret police alleged that Utomi, who was abroad at the time but returned on June 6, planned road shows aimed at stirring discontent under the guise of free speech. The DSS warned that such actions could escalate into public disorder similar to the 2020 #EndSARS protests, risking riots and large-scale violence if unchecked.
Reacting to the legal action and surveillance, Utomi expressed frustration and said he might consider leaving Nigeria over what he described as efforts to silence his voice.
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