Lagos State governor Babatunde Fashola criticized President Goodluck Jonathan over the statement that his generation had failed the nation.
The governor rebuked the country leader while speaking January 13 in Ikeja, Vanguard reports.
It would be recalled that Jonathan made a statement last Thursday as he addressed youth at the launch of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign at the Tafawa Balewa Square.
The politician said:
“I believe that young Nigerians, not people who are spent and finished. Not people of my age, we are gone… that is why I said I am addressing people from the ages 18-23 those who are voting for the first time, we believe that you people will take us to the moon. My generation has failed we couldn’t take Nigeria to the moon.”
Fashola argued however:
“He (Jonathan) said his generation has failed, he should account for himself because I refuse to join the generation the President was referring to.
“He is in his 50s, I am also in my 50s, and we appear to be, because I don’t even want to join that generation because my own generation has not failed, I have done well on my job and I am proud to say so. If he has failed, let him account for himself, he should not join us.”
The governor characterized Jonathan’s administration as “a failed government that has lost total focus. Seven years ago, they started with Vision 2020 but later they said that they are transforming. And all these have yielded no result. And that was why they have stopped working.”
The politician urged President Jonathan to accept the responsibility over his failure instead of blaming the past leaders, adding that “late President Musa Yar ‘Adua’s short tenure was better than that of this administration”.
Fashola also blasted Jonathan for the wasteful use of his Lagos campaign speech:
“And rather than the President using the recent campaign in Lagos to gain the support of the citizens the president was busy telling you they tried to kill him four years ago and we did not know.
“That is a serious national security issue because nobody wants our Commander in Chief dead. If anybody tries to kill him, we should have known. And if I was Commander in Chief, and the person who tries to kill me is in a South African jail, I will ask that he should be repatriated to Nigeria to come and face punishment.
“He (Jonathan) also claimed that General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) didn’t buy arms in 1985. And after Buhari left office, the Nigeria army got recognition for their role in protecting West Africa and was the guns bought 30 years ago be effective to fight today’s insurgency.”
Governor Fashola urged people to take critical Jonathan’s statements aimed, in his opinion, at gaining sympathy of the voters ahead of the February elections.
“In 2011, it was no shoes, now he is saying they tried to kill him, it won’t work this time. This time it is the job record, the promise that you must look at.”
It would be recalled that on the day following Jonathan’s speech delivery, Fashola, the All Progressives Congress (APC) member, lambasted the President over not saying anything useful.
