FORMER president Dr Goodluck Jonathan has attributed his loss at the polls during the last presidential elections to the fact that he concentrated on making life better for Nigerians rather than focus on his own political advancement.
Last year, Dr Jonathan of the People's Democratic Party lost to the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, ending 16 years of his party's rule. He has received global praise for conceding defeat at the polls, becoming the first sitting Nigerian president to accept losing and handing over power to his victor.
Yesterday, Dr Jonathan was a guest speaker at the Oxford Union of the University of Oxford, where he was received with acclaim for his role in promoting democracy across Africa. In response to a question about why he thought he lost the election, Dr Jonathan said that while in office, he worked to create the next generation of Nigerians, instead of working to win the 2015 election by all means.
Dr Jonathan said: “I am excited to be in the midst of some of the world’s future leaders to discuss issues relating to youth empowerment and entrepreneurship. While serving as president of Nigeria, I worked for the next generation and not for the next election and I have no regrets for what I did.
"The issue of youth entrepreneurship in Africa is very critical, as Africa is the only continent in which we will witness a population boom. Most violent crises in Africa can be traced to a lack of education and opportunities among its teeming youth population and studies reveal the symbiotic relationship between youth unemployment and youth restiveness."
Raising some posers on the success and failure of people, Dr Jonathan said wealth is a creation of the human mind, properly prepared by education. He added that any nation that does not spend its wealth and resources to develop the capacity of its youths will be forced to use them to fight insecurity.
According to Dr Jonathan, despite incredible challenges, Nigerian youths are achieving great things and placing the country positively on the world map. He added that his government may not have been perfect but did its best, which yielded an era of unprecedented economic growth for Nigeria.
Dr Jonathan said: “Under my watch, Nigeria was projected by CNN Money to be the third fastest growing economy in the world for the year 2015. Nigeria was rated as the largest economy in Africa and the 23rd in the world by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, with a gross domestic product above $570bn.
“While serving as president of Nigeria, I worked for the next generation and not for the next elections. I have no regrets for what I did as somebody must sacrifice and work for the next generation, otherwise your children’s children will suffer the same predicaments as you have.”
He added that the bill banning same sex marriage in Nigeria was a passed by the National Assembly and as president, he could not veto it. According to Dr Jonathan, however, since the banning of same sex marriages, not a single Nigerian has been discriminated against as a result of that law.
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