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Former President Goodluck Jonathan has defended his time in office, insisting he did his best despite criticisms from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Jonathan’s response followed remarks by Atiku during an interview on ARISE TV, where he described the former president as inexperienced and blamed that for shortcomings during his administration.
Reacting while speaking at an event in Abuja, Jonathan said no leader can claim to have served without making mistakes.
“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,” he said.
He questioned the basis of the criticism, noting that he assumed office at 53 and left at 58, asking whether leadership should be reserved for much older individuals.
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“Must it have been 100 years before I ran the affairs of the state?” he added.
Jonathan also defended key decisions taken during his tenure, pointing to Nigeria’s diplomatic achievements, including its election into the United Nations Security Council.
“I’m talking to diplomats… If I were so naive, I don’t think I would have been able to navigate through that process,” he said.
Beyond the exchange with Atiku, the former president raised concerns over political instability across West Africa, warning that it remains a major barrier to economic progress in the region.
“We cannot progress economically if we are very unstable societies politically,” he stressed.
He urged leaders within the ECOWAS bloc to work together to strengthen democratic institutions, noting that without political stability, the region’s economic ambitions would remain out of reach.
