Don’t Spend Taxpayers’ Money on Land Cruisers, Others, Utomi Tells Public Servants

Don’t Spend Taxpayers’ Money on Land Cruisers, Others, Utomi Tells Public Servants

Political economist, Pat Utomi, has urged Nigerian public servants to shun the use of taxpayers ‘ money for luxury purchases such as Land Cruisers and new presidential jets, describing such spending as “unjust” in a country where many citizens “struggle” to afford one meal a day.

“If you’re using public money, please don’t use it to buy a Land Cruiser”, Utomi said on Channels Television’s Hard Copy, aired on Friday.

“Go around as a permanent secretary in a Toyota Corolla, please, it is a public resource. If you’re president, please don’t buy a new presidential jet. South Africa’s president used to travel around Africa in business class. I have sat in the same aircraft class as Thabo Mbeki when he was president of South Africa”, the economist said.

The 69-year-old drew comparisons with Egypt, noting the country’s infrastructural strides despite its leaders ‘ modest lifestyle choices

“Go to Cairo in Egypt. See the remarkable infrastructure revolution that has taken place, power, they have twice as much as they need and strategies to keep having a buffer. New Cairo is going up, but look around and see what their elites drive, they’re in Peugeot 504s, they’re in Toyota Corollas.

” Abuja, you all are driving big SUVs, money going out of the country for what we don’t produce. I don’t have anything against SUVs, if you earn it, please buy your SUV, “he said.

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Utomi also criticised Nigeria’s large presidential fleet, describing it as unnecessary and unjustifiable, especially when many citizens cannot afford even one meal a day.

” Why must we have a presidential fleet that is bigger than most Nigerian airlines? They think it’s befitting when it’s public resources, resources of people who can’t eat one square meal a day. That’s unjust, that’s unfair thinking, “he said.

Asked about the culture of Nigerians aspiring to wealth and flaunting extravagant lifestyles, he warned that the elite’s behaviour was setting a dangerous precedent for younger generations.

” The elite are setting the bad example, so they are learning from them. In my writing on why nations are poor, I tried to describe how leadership comes to matter. What really sets the tone of human progress are essentially institutions and values, culture, but who sets the tone of culture?

Source: Channels TV

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