Disclosing that he became Nigeria’s president in 2010 at the age of 53 and left in 2015 at the age of 58, President Goodluck Jonathan has asserted that he needed not to have attained the age of 100 years to be experienced enough to preside over the affairs of the country.
He stated this in response to former vice president, Atiku Abubakar who described the former president as inexperienced and blamed that for shortcomings during his administration.
Atiku, who is vying for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ticket, said at a recent interview on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme that: “I know Goodluck Jonathan very well. He is a decent young man, but also inexperienced, and I believe that contributed to his inability to manage the affairs of the country, particularly when he was faced with challenges.”
Speaking at the 2025 Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria awards ceremony in Abuja, on Monday, Jonathan pointed out that nobody who becomes a governor or president would say he did not make 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. 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?”
The former President defended his decisions in office, saying that while mistakes are inevitable, he did his best.
The former president highlighted Nigeria’s diplomatic achievements during his tenure, particularly its election to the United Nations Security Council.
“I’m talking to diplomats, so I can say that during my period, I knew what I did for us to appear in the UN Security Council two times… If I were so naive, I don’t think I would have been able to navigate through that process,” he said.
