Political economist and African Democratic Congress chieftain, Professor Pat Utomi, has delivered a scathing assessment of Nigeria’s condition, declaring the country “in a complete mess” due to failed leadership, entrenched corruption and collapsing public confidence in state institutions.

Speaking in an interview, Utomi framed Nigeria’s crisis through a stark comparison with Egypt. He recalled attending a conference in Cairo’s new capital city, a vast development rising from the desert with 14 to 16-lane highways and modern infrastructure that he said could soon rival Dubai. Outside the venue, a group of senior Nigerians found themselves lamenting their own country’s trajectory, using the power sector as a symbol of wider dysfunction.

Utomi noted that despite repeated promises from those in power, electricity supply remains abysmal. He described living in the supposedly privileged “Band A” tariff category yet receiving unreliable power while paying an amount he said was roughly three times a university professor’s salary. To cope, he relies on solar installations and diesel generators, still without meeting his basic needs.

He contrasted Nigeria’s handling of its power partnership with Siemens to that of Egypt. Both countries engaged the German firm around the same period, but with sharply different strategies. Egypt, he said, works on the principle of always having roughly double the power it needs, expanding capacity ahead of demand. Nigeria, by contrast, set modest targets and structured its deal in a way Utomi described as driven by rent-seeking rather than national interest.

According to him, Egypt allowed Siemens to raise financing backed by state guarantees and recoup its investment over time, while Nigeria focused on assembling and disbursing large project funds that created opportunities for diversion. When the war in Ukraine disrupted Siemens’ supply chains, Utomi said Egypt’s projects were already substantially delivered, while Nigeria was left exposed despite having paid heavily.

He also cited an anecdote from the president of the Africa Finance Corporation about an Egyptian road project. Faced with a mountain that threatened to delay completion, Egyptian authorities reportedly cleared the entire obstacle within two weeks to keep to the deadline. For Utomi, that episode epitomised the decisive, problem-solving leadership Nigeria lacks.

Utomi concluded that until Nigeria confronts its leadership culture and corruption, the country will remain trapped in underdevelopment, with industries crippled, small businesses suffocated by energy costs and citizens losing faith in the state.