David West: 'I Criticise Jonathan for Failures, Lack of Focus'

Former Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Professor Tam David West,  Friday, said he criticised the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration for its failure and lack of focus.

He said Jonathan has not impressed him since he assumed office, insisting that unless things changed, he would continue to criticise him inspite of his being a fellow Ijaw man, stating that he has demonstrated a lack of acumen to lead a country like Nigeria.

David West assured on a live interactive programme tagged “Guest of the Month” on the radio service of the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC), which was monitored by THISDAY, that Nigeria would not break up but would remain one indivisible entity.

“I don’t support people on sentiment and I don’t allow sentiment to determine my actions. I only support people who have good qualities and not people who lack good qualities. President Jonathan lacks the qualities of a good leader and that is why I always criticize him,” he said.

West, who drew comparison between Jonathan and former Military Head of State and Presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the 2011 Presidential election, General Mohammadu Buhari, stated that Buhari possessed better qualities than Jonathan.

He noted that “If my father were to contest for an election with General Buhari, I would tell him not to waste his time and I would not support him. I would prefer Buhari to my father. So, I prefer Buhari to Jonathan, the same way I prefer Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo to Buhari and any other present political leader in the country.”

“There is no way any individual can compare Jonathan with Buhari. They are two different individuals with different ideologies and beliefs. Buhari is one leader that is disciplined and highly responsible. He is a faithful person and a down to earth man to the core. He believes in fairness and equity. So, Buhari is far better than Jonathan,” he added.

On the continued unity of the country, the former Minister affirmed that “Nigeria cannot break.  The country will remain as one indivisible entity. We can have differences which are often caused by Politicians, but the fact still remains that Nigeria will remain together as one. “Some selfish politicians are those behind the division of the country, but they will fail as this nation will remain united. The amalgamation of the north and south was to ensure administrative convenience, so the country will remain one.”

He also remarked that the National Assembly was weak in the handling of some sundry national issues, adding that the weakness of the parliament affects the progress and development of the country. The Professor of Virology admonished members of the two chambers of the National Assembly to brace up and live up to the expectations of Nigerians in a bid to ensure a virile democracy in the country.