Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has defended his record after criticism from presidential aspirant Atiku Abubakar, saying that while he made mistakes in office, he did his best for Nigeria.
Atiku, speaking on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme, described Jonathan as “decent” but “inexperienced,” and said that shortfalls during Jonathan’s tenure contributed to difficulties in managing the country. The comments came amid Atiku’s ongoing bid for the presidency.
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Responding at the 2025 Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria (ARCAN) awards in Abuja on Monday, Jonathan said no leader is immune from error and rejected suggestions that his age made him unsuitable to govern.
“So not too long ago, a very senior politician said, ‘Oh, Jonathan was too young and probably that’s why he made mistakes,’” he said. “If I made mistakes, yes — nobody who becomes a governor or a president will say you did not 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?”
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Jonathan pointed to diplomatic achievements during his administration, including Nigeria’s two elections to the United Nations Security Council, as evidence of effective stewardship. “If I were so naive, I don’t think I would have been able to navigate through that process,” he said.
He also warned that political instability across West Africa threatens economic progress and urged ECOWAS leaders to strengthen democratic institutions and collective action. “We cannot progress economically if we are very unstable societies politically,” Jonathan said, noting tensions between promoting democracy and respecting national sovereignty.
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Jonathan called on Nigerian diplomats to document the country’s foreign-policy experience to guide future administrations and praised the founding fathers of ECOWAS for their vision of regional integration.
Former Head of State Yakubu Gowon, who was honoured at the ceremony, reflected on the origins of ECOWAS and paid tribute to the civil servants and diplomats who helped realise the bloc. ARCAN president Joe Keshi lauded the awards as recognition of diplomatic service, while the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waheed Shaibu, praised Gowon’s leadership and commended ARCAN’s role in shaping foreign-policy discourse.
