SAN FRANCISCO, July 22, (THEWILL) – Former Delta State governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan has advised the founder of Lagos Business School, Prof. Pat Utomi, to go and contest for a councillorship position in his Ward to learn the ropes of governance in the state.
The immediate past governor, while debunking the wild allegations of financial mismanagement made by Utomi against the Delta state government, urged the ace economist not to sacrifice the truth on the altar of political expediencies.
He stated this on Friday at a stakeholders meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Asaba, where he advised those aspiring for political offices to focus on facts and issues, rather than being blinded by their political ambitions to the extent of peddling falsehood against government.
Uduaghan described Utomi as someone who has more of a bogus ideas, but lacking in the practical execution of those ideologies.
He disclosed that as governor of Delta State, his administration made Utomi chairman and member of several committees as opportunities for the professor to contribute to the development of the state, but did not show goodwill and character.
According to him, “If Prof Utomi attends any of the meetings, he will not spend more than five minutes.
“He bragged about his reach internationally, how he was going to bring international investors and we had to partner with him to organize a business forum outside the country with Nigerians in the diaspora for us to get the investors, but he did not spend five minutes before he left us, no investor came to the state through him.”
Speaking further on his experience with the Professor of Economics, Uduaghan challenged Deltans to put him on the hot seat on his stewardship concerning projects that were in his care.
His words, “You people should ask Prof, where is the Silicon Valley? He took us to his home town, Ibusa for the foundation laying ceremony of Silicon Valley, till date, there is nothing to show that the project has commenced.
“He has contested for the presidency, he now wants to be the governor but, I think he should start from his Ward, he should contest for Councillor.”
The ex-governor urged Utomi to stop condemning the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, but instead put on the table the programmes he has for the people of the state if they must vote for him.
He said, “It is not good to condemn what the incumbent governor is doing because of your ambition, rather, you should bring out your programmes and sell to the people.
“Every man has a right to aspire to any political office in the country, but such person must not tell lies about government to achieve his aspiration.
“Tell the people what you can do for them, do not spread lies.
“Governor Okowa has done excellently well and we should join hands with him to develop the state.”
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