ABUJA, Nigeria – Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan defended his administration’s record and addressed criticisms of his leadership during an awards ceremony on Monday.
Okay News reports that Jonathan dismissed claims of inexperience raised by former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar, stating that mistakes are inevitable for any leader.
Abubakar, a presidential aspirant for the African Democratic Congress, characterised the former president as inexperienced during a recent interview on Arise TV. Responding at the 2025 Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria awards ceremony, Jonathan noted his age during his tenure. “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?” he said.
The former leader highlighted Nigeria’s diplomatic milestones under his administration to the gathered diplomats. “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.
Addressing regional governance, Jonathan stated that the Economic Community of West African States faces challenges due to political instability among member states. He said that efforts to enforce democratic norms frequently conflict with national sovereignty. “That means that ECOWAS must interfere with the internal affairs of the states, and the issue of sovereignty becomes a problem,” he said.
The ceremony also honoured former Nigerian Head of State Yakubu Gowon, who reflected on the establishment of the regional bloc in 1975. Gowon attributed the formation to post-war diplomatic engagements and the combined efforts of civil servants from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Development.
Joe Keshi, President of the Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria, stated that the awards ceremony marked the 50th anniversary of the regional bloc. Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waheed Shaibu, also attended the event and delivered remarks regarding the historical contributions of the honoured diplomatic founders.
