by Kolapo Olapoju
Governor of Lagos state, Babatunde Fashola has reacted to the comments of President Goodluck Jonathan, where he stated that his generation has failed Nigeria.
Fashola replied saying the President has failed Nigerians, not his entire generation. He said instead of generalizing, Jonathan should take responsibility for his own failure.
Jonathan had made the statement on Thursday, January 8, while addressing youths at the flag-off of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP campaign held at the Tafawa Balewa Square, TBS Lagos.
Fashola’s reaction came on Tuesday, January 13, at the Town Hall meeting with stakeholders in the transportation sector held in Agidingbi, Ikeja.
The governor implored Jonathan to stop pointing accusing fingers to past leaders for the nation’s woes, adding that “late President Musa Yar’Adua’s short tenure was better than that of this administration.”
Fashola said: “He said his generation has failed, he should account for himself because I refuse to join the generation the President was referring to. You (Jonathan) failed Nigeria because my generation did not fail this country.”
“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.”
He described the present 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.”
Fashola also bemoaned the situation in the North-East region of the country, calling it pathetic because citizens have become refugees in their father land due to the inability of the present administration to tame the Boko Haram insurgency.
He said: “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 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.”
Fashola added that President Jonathan made the statements to gain the sympathy of the electorate and sway them ahead of the presidential election, saying: “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.”
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