A former vice president and African Democratic Congress chieftain, Atiku Abubakar, says former president Goodluck Jonathan failed to turn Nigeria around because he lacked requisite leadership experience to steer the affairs of the country.

Speaking in an exclusive Arise TV interview on Wednesday, Mr Abubakar, however, described Mr Jonathan as a decent young man.

“I know Jonathan very well. He is a decent young man but inexperienced. That attributed to his failure to manage the affairs of the country, particularly when he was faced with challenges,” the politician stated.

Mr Jonathan, who was Bayelsa State governor from 2005 to 2007, served as the Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015. He had previously served as the vice president from 2007 to 2010 under the administration of late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

Mr Jonathan lost the 2015 presidential election to former president Muhammadu Buhari and was the first incumbent president in the history of the country to lose re-election.

Mr Abubakar, in the interview, further stated that several states of the federation are headed by inexperienced leaders, blaming the country’s situation on dearth of competent and experienced leaders.

“A number of states are being headed by inexperienced young men who also require experience to be able to succeed. I think it is a systemic issue because we had more failures at both state and at federal levels,” he added.

Mr Abubakar advocated leadership training for young Nigerians to equip them with requisite knowledge and skills required to govern and turn the country around.

“We did not have capable presidents with experience at the helms of affairs. There is a lack of rare leadership training in our young upcoming generation. I wish I could establish a leadership training. We really need it in this country,” the ADC chieftain said.

Mr Jonathan’s spokesperson, Ikechukwu Eze, did not reply to a request seeking a comment on Mr Atiku’s statement.