Bashir Yuguda, former minister of nationwide planning and minister of state for finance, has faulted remarks by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, saying former President Goodluck Jonathan was not inexperienced in workplace.
Yuguda spoke in a press release on Friday in response to feedback by Atiku throughout an interview on Come up TV.
Atiku had stated Jonathan was “a good younger man” however lacked the expertise required to handle Nigeria’s challenges.
“As an illustration, like this case of Umaru Yar’Adua, who began very properly and was succeeded by Goodluck Jonathan. I do know Jonathan very properly — a good younger man — however he was inexperienced, and that, I consider, additionally contributed to his failure to handle the affairs of the nation, notably when he was confronted with challenges,” Atiku stated.
Reacting, Yuguda described the remarks as inaccurate and inconsistent with the information, noting that Jonathan had served as deputy governor, governor, vice-president and performing president earlier than assuming workplace.
“Throughout that interval, Nigeria’s {economic} profile expanded considerably. The nation attained the standing of Africa’s largest economic system, attracted robust investor confidence, and maintained relative stability in key indicators. Poverty ranges declined to among the lowest recorded because the return to democratic rule in 1999. These usually are not retrospective claims; they’re outcomes documented by credible establishments,” he stated.
Yuguda stated the Jonathan administration recorded progress in agriculture, transport and training.
“In agriculture, the administration moved the dialog from subsistence to sustainability. Reforms within the sector improved meals availability and earned Nigeria world recognition for progress in the direction of starvation discount targets.
“The Jonathan administration revived prepare routes throughout Nigeria to supply a cheap different to street and air journey. On behalf of the President, I personally commissioned the rehabilitation and restoration of the Zaria–Gusau–Kaura Namoda rail line, which had deteriorated over time following 26 years of neglect.
“His imaginative and prescient for transformational growth additionally discovered expression within the consideration he gave to the training sector. He established no fewer than 12 new federal universities, with 9 of them within the North, and about 165 Almajiri colleges to boost entry to training throughout the nation. These of us in authorities on the time understood that these positive aspects had been the results of targeted coverage execution, not happenstance,” he stated.
Yuguda stated Jonathan’s management fashion was outlined by calmness and restraint, stressing that the ex-president remained loyal to his predecessor, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who died in workplace.
“He possessed a calmness that steadied governance, even in moments of stress. I recall quite a few events when he would discourage any try by his appointees to reply sharply to critics, together with former leaders. His place was clear: management should not descend into pointless confrontation,” he stated.
Yuguda stated Jonathan’s most enduring legacy lies in his respect for democratic values, notably his choice to concede defeat in 2015.
“Regardless of the safety challenges on the time of the 2015 elections, Jonathan didn’t use them as an excuse to extend his keep in workplace. He not solely ensured that elections had been performed even in areas with probably the most troublesome safety challenges, he additionally pioneered the deployment of know-how to boost the transparency and credibility of the electoral course of,” he stated.
Yuguda stated Jonathan’s choice to concede energy strengthened Nigeria’s democracy and prioritised nationwide stability over private ambition.
“No chief is past criticism, and President Jonathan himself can be the primary to acknowledge that he’s human and able to error. However to scale back his presidency to a query of inexperience is to miss each the depth of his preparation and the substance of his file.
“Finally, Nigerians will choose based mostly on proof, not assertions. They’ll differentiate between management that left tangible footprints and narratives that search, after the very fact, to redefine it. President Jonathan’s contributions are seen, documented, and enduring.
“They don’t require embellishment, they usually definitely can’t be diminished by revisionist claims, particularly by one whose declare to expertise within the final 20 years has remained an unrealised ambition to be elected President of our nice nation,” he stated.
Yuguda stated Nigerians ought to replicate on how others might need dealt with the transition throughout Yar’Adua’s sickness.
“Would they’ve acted with the identical knowledge, decorum, and restraint that Jonathan demonstrated within the curiosity of preserving the nation’s fragile democracy, or would private ambition have pushed them to destabilise it?” he requested.