Nigeria's Goodluck Jonathan said on Monday that he was "the most
criticised president in the whole world", but pledged that, with time, he
would be more appreciated.
"I'm the most criticised president in the whole world. I can tell
this noble audience that before I leave, I will also be the most praised
president," Jonathan told a meeting of the Nigerian Bar Association.
The president, who has faced criticism over what has been
characterised as a complacent approach to the job in the face of a deadly
Islamist insurgency and other issues, said his critics were unfairly blaming
him for Nigeria's woes.
He touched on problems such as a lack of adequate electricity supply and
other infrastructure issues which pre-date his tenure in the continent's
largest oil producer.
"Sometimes I ask, 'were there roads across this country and
Jonathan brought floods to wipe out these roads?'" said the president, who
took charge of Africa's most populous country in 2010 following the death of
his predecessor and won 2011 elections.
"Or, we have power and I brought hurricanes to bring down all
infrastructure?"
Hitting back
Nigeria's Muslim-dominated north is grappling with the insurgent Islamist
group Boko Haram, blamed for more than 1 400 deaths since 2010. Some say
unemployment and poverty in the north have fuelled the crisis.
"So, were there massive irrigation projects in the north where
agriculture can thrive and massive farms, and Jonathan brought drought to wipe
out these farms [in] under two years?" he said.
The president's comments come amid an apparent effort by his office to
hit back at critics.
In a column published in several national newspapers on Sunday,
Jonathan's spokespersonn Reuben Abati said the president was "not
clueless", calling him "grossly misunderstood".
Responding to unnamed critics who have suggested that "Mr
President drinks", Abati wrote, "alcohol is not served during
official duties", adding "nobody gets drunk around here"
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