He said such politicians could not be described as statesmen because of the big offices they occupied before but by virtue of what they brought to bear on the nation.
Although the President did not mention names, former President Olusegun Obasanjo had on Monday said that Nigeria was facing economic problems due to the failure of the Jonathan government to plan well.
But a visibly angry Jonathan told a delegation of Northern Elders Council in Abuja that some people were hiding under big names to create problems for Nigeria. He said such people were in the habit of making unguarded statements with the aim of creating enmity.
The President said, “Some people call themselves statesmen but they are not statesmen, they are just ordinary politicians.
“For you to be a statesman, it is not because you have occupied a big office before but the question is what are you bringing to bear on the nation?
“Are you building this country? Or are you a part of the people who tell lies to destroy this country; to create enmity and make people who ordinarily would have been living together to fight themselves?
“Are you planning to set the country ablaze because you did not get that particular thing you want?
“At the appropriate time, Nigerians will know all of them even though I know most of such people. The younger ones do not know.
“Some people, including those with big names, are hiding under some clogs and creating a lot of problems in this country.
“They are making provocative statements that will set this country ablaze. How can someone tell me that such people are senior citizens. They are not senior citizens and they can never be. They are ordinary motor park touts.
“If you are a senior citizen, you will act like one. It is not because of the offices we occupy, it is by divine grace and providence that some of us occupy these offices. But what role are you playing to build this country?”
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