According to a report by Punch, former President Goodluck Jonathan has responded to criticism of his administration, stating that while mistakes may have occurred, he did his best during his time in office.
His reaction followed remarks by Atiku Abubakar, a presidential aspirant on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who had earlier described Jonathan as inexperienced during an interview on Arise Television.
Speaking at the 2025 Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria awards ceremony in Abuja, Jonathan addressed the issue of experience in leadership, noting that no leader can claim to be free of errors. He said criticisms about his age at the time he assumed office were misplaced.
According to him, “So not too long ago, a very senior politician said, ‘Oh, Jonathan was too young, and probably that’s why he made mistakes.’ If I made mistakes, yes, nobody who becomes a governor or a president will say you did not make mistakes. Even when you promote yourself to the level of a god, you become a deity. All human beings must make mistakes. I became president in 2010 at the age of 53. I left in 2015 at the age of 58, and they say I was too young. Must it have been 100 years before I ran the affairs of the state?”
Jonathan maintained that his administration made notable contributions, particularly in Nigeria’s foreign relations. He highlighted the country’s election into the United Nations Security Council during his tenure, arguing that such achievements required strategic leadership and could not have been accomplished without experience.
He also spoke on broader regional issues, stressing that political stability remains essential for economic development across West Africa. Jonathan warned that persistent instability within member states continues to undermine the goals of regional cooperation, particularly within ECOWAS.
He emphasized that while the regional bloc was founded with strong economic objectives, meaningful progress would remain difficult without stable political systems, adding, “We cannot progress economically if we are very unstable societies politically.”…..See More
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