GOODLUCK JONATHAN @ 66 : FROM OTUOKE TO THE WORLD STAGE
FROM OTUOKE TO THE WORLD STAGE
Under Jonathan's administration, Nigeria rebased its gross domestic product for the first time in over a decade, becoming the largest economy in Africa by overtaking South Africa and Egypt.
Goodluck Azikiwe Ebele Jonathan was born on 20 November 1957 in Ogbia to a Christian Ijaw family of
canoe makers in Otu oke, Bayelsa State.
His
father, Lawrence Ebele Jonathan, was a canoe maker and his mother, Eunice Ayi
Ebele Jonathan, was a farmer.
Jonathan
was raised in the region of the Niger delta in what is now Bayelsa state.
He
attended Christian primary and secondary schools in the area.
He
later attended the University of Port Harcourt, earning a B.S. in zoology
(1981), an M.S. in hydrobiology and fisheries biology (1985), and a Ph.D. in
zoology (1995).
During
his university education, he also taught at Rivers State College of Education
from 1983 until 1993.
He
then served as an assistant director at the Oil Mineral Producing Areas
Development Commission, a now defunct government agency, from 1993 until 1998.
Before
entering into politics in 1998, Jonathan worked as an education inspector, a
lecturer and an environmental-protection officer
Jonathan’s
political career began when he became involved with the nascent People’s
Democratic Party (PDP) in the late 1990s.
Jonathan
entered into politics when General Sani Abacha, who ruled as military head of
state of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998, died in office.
In
the 1999 Bayelsa State gubernatorial election, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha ran for
governor under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party and chose Jonathan
as his running mate.
Alaimeyeseigha
won the election and became the first civilian governor of Bayelsa State in May
1999. They were reelected in 2003 and Jonathan's diligence and loyalty to him
earned him the recognition as Nigeria's most hardworking deputy governor.
Jonathan
served as Deputy Governor until December 2005. On 9 December 2005, Jonathan,
who was the deputy governor at the time, was sworn in as the governor of
Bayelsa State upon the impeachment of governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha by the
Bayelsa State Assembly after being charged with money laundering in the United
Kingdom.
As
Vice President, Jonathan took a very low profile. While recognising the
constitutional limits of the Vice President's office, he participated in
cabinet meetings and, by statute, was a member of the National Security
Council, the National Defence Council, the Federal Executive Council and
chairman of the National Economic Council.
Jonathan
engaged in efforts to negotiate with militants in the Niger delta, who were
fighting against petroleum companies operating in the delta region, but
otherwise he largely remained in the political background.
His
profile rose considerably in early 2010 when Yar’Adua’s extended absence from
the country for medical treatment made many Nigerians anxious and generated
calls for Yar’Adua to formally transfer power to Jonathan.
As
concerns mounted and there was no word from Yar’Adua on the request to transfer
power to his vice president, members of Nigeria’s National Assembly took
matters into their own hands and on February 9, 2010, voted to have Jonathan
assume full power and serve as acting president until Yar’Adua was able to
resume his duties. Jonathan agreed and assumed power later that day, but it was
unclear whether the assumption of power was constitutional.
When
Yar’Adua returned to Nigeria on February 24, 2010, it was announced that
Jonathan would remain as acting president while Yar’Adua continued to
recuperate.
Jonathan
was named Acting President of Nigeria on 9 February 2010, following a
controversial doctrine of necessity from the Senate of Nigeria due to President
Yar'Adua's trip to Saudi Arabia in November 2009 for medical treatment. On 10 February 2010, his first day as acting
president, Jonathan announced a minor cabinet reshuffle.
Yar’Adua,
who never fully recovered, died on May 5, 2010.
In
accordance with the order of succession in the Nigerian constitution, following
President Yar'Adua's death on 5 May 2010, Jonathan, as Acting President, was
sworn in as the substantive president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 6
May 2010.
On
18 May 2010, the National Assembly approved Jonathan's nomination of Kaduna
State Governor Namadi Sambo, to replace him as Vice President.
Jonathan
vowed to continue his involvement in the Niger delta peace negotiations and
declared his intentions to reform the country’s oft-criticized electoral
process as well as tackle corruption and deal with the country’s energy
problems.
In the PDP’s January 2011 primaries, Jonathan
was elected to be the party’s candidate for the presidency. His overwhelming
victory showed that his candidacy had considerable support in the north as well
as the south even though it was a departure from the unofficial north-south
rotation policy.
Jonathan
was also victorious in the country’s presidential election, held on April 16,
2011. He won about 59 percent of the vote, securing an outright victory and
avoiding the need for a runoff election. Reforming Nigeria’s electoral process
had been one of Jonathan’s goals, and international observers praised this
election as being largely transparent, free, and fair.
On
29 May 2011, he was sworn in as the President of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief
of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, becoming Nigeria's 14th Head of State.
Under
Jonathan's administration, Nigeria rebased its gross domestic product for the
first time in over a decade, becoming the largest economy in Africa by
overtaking South Africa and Egypt. The Jonathan administration accrued over
US$454 billion while in office from oil revenue.
The
Jonathan administration oversaw the construction of new railways in the
country, including the Abuja-Kaduna railway and conceptualized high-speed rail
projects.
Construction
and beautification of many federal roads in the country, including the
Lagos-Benin expressway, Abuja-Lokoja expressway, Enugu-Abakiliki expressway,
Onitsha-Owerri highway and most parts of the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway was
done.
Construction
of the second Niger Bridge between Onitsha and Asaba to relieve the pressure on
the old Niger Bridge which was completed in December 1965.
Construction
of airports were done across the country. The Akanu Ibiam Airport in Enugu was
upgraded into an international airport, directly connecting the South-East
region of the country to the outside world for the first time since
independence
Jonathan
suspended Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as governor of the Central Bank of
Nigeria after a series of public investigations and raising the alarm
on the US$20 billion NNPC scandal in a leaked letter which revealed that the
Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation failed to account for US$48.9 billion of
government oil revenue to the central bank.
During
Jonathan's administration, Nigeria's foreign policy was reviewed to reflect a
"citizen-focused" approach, designed to "accord this vision of
defending the dignity of humanity the highest priority" and connect
foreign policy to domestic policy, while placing a greater emphasis on economic
diplomacy.
Jonathan’s
first full term as president was dominated by an insurgency primarily in the
northeast, led by the Islamic militant group Boko Haram.
Boko
Haram’s acts of terror escalated during Jonathan’s administration, and, despite the government
taking such action as declaring states of emergency in the areas most affected
and attempting mediation, the group’s violence continued unabated until a
regional force was formed and pursued the group in earnest beginning in
February 2015.
On
29 May 2011, a few hours after Goodluck Jonathan was sworn in as president,
several bombings purportedly by Boko Haram killed 15 and injured 55.
On
16 June 2011, Boko Haram claimed to have conducted the Abuja police
headquarters bombing, the first known suicide attack in Nigeria.
Two
months later the United Nations building in Abuja was bombed, signifying the
first time that Boko Haram attacked an international organization.
In
December 2011, it carried out attacks in Damaturu killing over a hundred
people, subsequently clashing with security forces in December, resulting in at
least 68 deaths.
Two
days later on Christmas Day, Boko Haram attacked several Christian churches
with bomb blasts and shootings.
On
18 March 2013 , a bus station was bombed in Kano, with several casualties.
In May 2013, Nigerian government forces launched an offensive in the Borno
region in an attempt to dislodge Boko Haram fighters after a state of emergency
was called on 14 May 2013. The state of emergency, applied to the states of
Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa in northeastern Nigeria.
On
16 January 2014, it was reported that Jonathan had sacked his military high
command in response to their inability to end the Islamist-led insurgency in
Northern Nigeria. On 14 April, over 200 schoolgirls in Chibok were
kidnapped.
Between
3 and 7 January 2015, Boko Haram attacked the town of Baga and killed up to
2,000 people, perhaps the largest massacre by Boko Haram. On 10 January 2015, a
bomb attack took place at the Monday Market in Maiduguri, killing 19 people. In
the early hours of 25 January 2015, Boko Haram launched a major assault on the
city.
On
1st January 2012, the Jonathan administration announced the start of a
controversial plan to end fuel subsidies. Following the Nigeria Labour
Congress' warning that the country faces many strikes, the country unions
followed up with strikes that were matched with civil protests from 9th
to 13 January 2012.
Protesters
and groups called for Jonathan to resign over the removal of fuel subsidies. After
five days of national protests and strikes, on 16 January, Jonathan announced
that the pump price of petroleum would be 97 naira per litre compared to a
post-subsidy level of 147 naira
In
2012 the Jonathan administration instituted a subsidy re-investment programme
designed to spend the money saved from partial petrol price deregulation on
physical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, etc. across the country. The
Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Program (SURE-P) was also intended to improve maternal health and reduce
maternal mortality.
In
March 2014, President Jonathan inaugurated the 2014 National Conference. The
conference was the first of its kind since the 2005 political reform
conference. It had 492 delegates that debated on key socio-political national
issues impeding national development.
His
administration also faced the 2014 Ebola outbreak. On 20 July 2014, Patrick
Sawyer, a Liberian-American, flew from Monrovia to Murtala Muhammed
International Airport in Lagos, with a stopover at Lomé, Togo. Sawyer became
violently ill upon arriving at the airport and died five days later. In
response, the Nigerian government observed all of Sawyer's contacts for signs
of infection and increased surveillance at all entry points to the country.
In
January 2014, Jonathan signed into law the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act
after it was passed by the Senate and House of Representatives. The law
prohibits gay relationships, membership and other involvement in gay societies
and organizations and gay marriages. The bill came after international polls
showed that 98% of Nigerians did not think homosexuality should be accepted by
society, the highest percentage of any country surveyed.
The
incumbent president won the 2015 presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic
Party. Jonathan believed the APC's popularity was inflated, having made his
view clear in an interview just two days to the general elections. Jonathan
said "I don't think Nigerians will make the mistake of voting for Buhari.
Gen. Buhari, with due respect, is not the right option for Nigeria at this time.”
Jonathan
faced more than a dozen candidates, but his strongest challenger was former
military head of state Muhammadu Buhari, who was the flag bearer for the All
Progressives Congress (APC).
It marked the first time in Nigeria’s history that an incumbent had been defeated.
Even before the official pronouncement, President Jonathan made a call to his opponent Mohammadu Buhai and congratulated him.
Jonathan handed over to the retired General on May 29th 2015.
Since leaving office, Jonathan has continued to defend his administration.
In
2019, he was appointed as the honorary special advisor to the Bayelsa Education
Trust Fund board.
In
June 2019, Goodluck Jonathan was named chairperson of the newly inaugurated
International Summit Council for Peace.
In
July 2020, Jonathan was appointed special envoy of the Economic Community of West
African States to lead mediation talks during the 2020 Malian protests.
In
2023, Jonathan was appointed head of delegation for the African Union and
COMESA in the 2023 Zimbabwean general election. On Friday, 25 August 2023, he
addressed a press briefing giving Zimbabwe's electoral authority poor ratings.
Goodluck
Ebele Jonathan has remained in public glare since leaving office, especially as
part of diplomatic peace missions in Africa and the world.
Jonathan
clocked 66 on 20th November 2023
Comments