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Political economist Pat Utomi has said Nigerians cannot overcome poverty through prayer alone in a country where, he argued, hard work is punished and corruption rewarded.
In a post on X on Saturday, Utomi said prayer alone could not lift people out of poverty in a country where, in his view, hard work was punished and corruption rewarded.
“You cannot pray your way out of poverty while living in a country that punishes hard work and rewards corruption,” he wrote.
Utomi said religious faith remained important but argued that governments had a responsibility to create conditions in which people could earn a living and benefit from their efforts.
He referred to reliable electricity, viable businesses and salaries capable of sustaining families as examples of conditions that enable people to prosper.
The economist also challenged the tendency to attribute personal and economic difficulties to spiritual attacks or supernatural forces, arguing that governance failures could be responsible for many of the obstacles people face.
“Prayer is important, but so is good governance,” he said, adding that the APC had performed poorly in creating an environment where Nigerians could enjoy the benefits of their labour.
You cannot pray your way out of poverty while living in a country that punishes hard work and rewards corruption.
Even the Bible tells you that God will bless the work of your hands. But how can your hands prosper when the system is designed to frustrate your efforts?
For years, you may have been made to believe that your struggles and setbacks in life are the result of spiritual attacks, village people or supernatural forces. Then you move to a country where electricity works, businesses can thrive, salaries can sustain families and hard work actually pays. Suddenly, you realise something painful, You were not lazy. You were not cursed. You were living under a government that made success unnecessarily difficult.
Prayer is important, but so is good governance. Our leaders must create an environment where ordinary people can work hard and enjoy the fruits of their labour, in this aspect, APC has done a bad job.
— Pat Utomi (@UtomiPat) November 7, 2026
