OGUN: Older generations should feel ashamed for bequeathing nothing to younger ones — Pat Utomi

FORMER presidential aspirant, Pat Utomi, has condemned the older generation in Nigeria for not thinking beyond the present in their approaches to life.

Utomi lamented the fact that his generation and older ones are not making deliberate efforts to bequeath a better future than the one they enjoyed to younger generation.

He said this at a symposium to commemorate the installation of Ladi Adebutu, a former House of representatives member, as the Lisa Aje of Egbaland.

The symposium, which was held at Park Inn hotel, Kuto, had as theme: “Public-Private Partnership For The Development of Ogun State.”

“We should feel a deep sense of personal shame that we had a better life than our children,” Utomi said.

He added, “In most societies, the question people ask is that, ‘is your life better today than it was yesterday?

“Every generation is expected to have a life better than the generation before. We, as teenagers, as young professional men and women have had better lives than our children and we must not let this to continue.”

If the future of Nigeria is to be guaranteed, the current situation of things should be checked, said Utomi.

He continued, “Where is the place of discipline in development? Where is the place of commitment? Singapore’s progress was significantly a result of forced-saving, that is saving money by force, ditto pension funds, ditto housing funds. Today, our money is disappearing from pension funds,” he said.

While saying there is the need to look at why Nigeria has not succeeded in many things, Utomi said the nation is not budgeting enough money for infrastructure, which, according to the professor of political economy, is fundamental to the ability to grow.