• As Former Minister, Academics Reflect On Pat Utomi’s Values @70
The first female professor of Mass Communication in Nigeria, Prof. Chinyere Stella Okunna, has said that ethical failure and self-serving leadership remain major threats to Nigeria’s development, insisting that the absence of integrity and people-centred governance continues to undermine national progress.
Okunna spoke during a webinar organised to mark the 70th birthday of political economist, Prof. Pat Utomi, themed ‘Leadership and Governance in Africa: Lessons from a Lifetime of Service,’ attended by a former minister, academics and policy experts who reflected on leadership, ethics and public service.

“All over Africa, but particularly in Nigeria, ethics is cracking. Many Nigerian urban leaders, I would say most even, only a very small fraction of those leaders believe in self-employed people. Many of them are there for their own very selfish ends. There is no integrity, people-orientedness, no grassroots belief in the people,” Okunna said.

She argued that Nigeria’s leadership crisis persists because many leaders lack selflessness, grassroots connection and commitment to public good, adding that such deficiencies make sustainable development impossible.

Okunna described Utomi as a rare example of values-driven leadership in Nigeria’s political space, citing his people-oriented disposition, intellectual depth and selflessness as qualities largely missing among the political elite.

Former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, said Utomi remained relevant long after leaving public office because of his sustained civic engagement and commitment to ideas rather than political positions. He noted that Utomi’s refusal to retreat from public discourse had earned him enduring recognition and moral authority.

In his opening remarks, Professor of Economics and Data Analysis at Lagos Business School, Prof. Bongo Adi, said Utomi’s influence extended beyond academia into public life, noting that his scholarship combines intellectual rigour with moral clarity and accessibility. He added that Utomi’s commitment to knowledge has always been geared towards societal transformation and national renewal.

Also speaking, Prof. Abiodun Adeniyi said Utomi’s long-standing presence in the public space had helped deepen public understanding of Nigeria’s governance challenges, particularly the capture of institutions by political and economic elites.

He recalled Utomi’s framing of leadership as another-centred responsibility, noting that Nigeria’s leadership crisis was rooted in the prioritisation of personal and sectional interests over collective welfare.
Publisher of Prime Business Africa, Dr. Marcel Mbamalu, described Utomi as approachable and humble despite his accomplishments in academia, business and public life.

He said Utomi’s consistency in promoting ethical leadership and public value has made him a reference point for principled leadership, especially for younger generations.