Gov. Fashola Blasts Jonathan and VP Sambo, Says First Set of University Graduates As Leaders Has Made Nigeria Worse

Lagos state Governor Fashola yesterday expressed his deep displeasure over the administration of President Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo.

In a speech to mark the 50th birthday of former Bayelsa state Governor, Timipre Sylva in Abuja, the Governor said: "Even recently, we all used to think that our National development was inhibited by the fact that we never had a university graduate as leader of any national government in an executive capacity. This perhaps alludes only faintly to some of what I have discussed about the elite consensus but it is not quite the same. Thankfully, the myth for graduate leadership, desirable as it is has now been exploded. We now have two graduates, a Zoologist and an Architect at the helm of our National affairs and I think that the majority of Nigerians would tell you today that their lives are worse off today than they were 4 years ago. Clearly in my view, there must be more to leadership than a University degree and educational qualification."


"There are attributes such as character, vision, courage, empathy compassion and many more attributes that you simply would not find in a classroom or in a school. They in the homes, in our communities and they are also in the value system of our society."

"Recently, our leadership has redefined empathy by inviting parents of abducted children, bereaved people to the presidential villa for commiseration. I find this really, really strange. I find it truly unafrican. How does this sound to you? 'Hello Neighbor, I heard that your children were abducted. Please come and see me at home so I can sympathize with you'. This is my way of paraphrasing what has happened."

"As if this was not bad enough, the event has been followed by another rounds of lies, about whether or not they tried to give the bereaved parents money. For me, it is a low point for leadership. It suggest the lack of empathy."

He also talked about the lies that the federal government told saying 'they' (the government) had released all the girls, adding that because no one could believe that lie, stories started springing up from them that there was no abduction of girls. He went further to say that he truly hopes that free the girls now that they have said they know whr d girls are.