Dr. Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, GCFR, was born on November 20, 1957, in Otueke, Bayelsa State. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology, a Master’s in Hydrobiology and Fisheries Biology, and a Ph.D. degree in Zoology from the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State. After working as an education inspector, lecturer, and environmental protection officer, he entered politics in 1998 and was voted deputy governor of Bayelsa State, a position he held from 1999 till 2006 when he became the governor. In 2007, he was picked as the running mate to Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in the presidential election. The pair won the election, but President Yar’Adua died on May 5, 2010, paving the way for Jonathan to assume office as the new president. In 2011, he was elected the 14th Head of State and President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by an overwhelming majority, winning 25 of Nigeria’s 36 states in an election adjudged by local and international observers as free, fair and credible. He is married to Dame Patience and they are blessed with children.
Goodluck Jonathan lost in election he could had swayed in his favour, having all the machinery of the commander-in-chief at his disposal, yet hours to the official announcements of the final results he conceded victory and congratulated his opponent. He is undoubtedly a HERO and THE FATHER OF MODERN NIGERIA DEMOCRACY
Some of his memorable quotes.
**** “My political ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian”.
**** “The stronger the boat (of democracy), the more it is able to meet the challenges of its voyage and deliver on its promise to citizens”
**** “The air of freedom we breathe today is the result of the sacrifices of thousands of pro-democracy activists, human rights campaigners and others who organised as civil society”
**** "No minister will be allowed to go on a mission of endless search for solutions”
**** “In the comfort of our offices, let us not forget that majority of our people live below the poverty line”
**** “Terrorism has no conscience and spares no one”
**** “Any society or country that closes the vital valves of its democratic space cannot develop at a reasonable pace”
**** “Where there is no opportunity for one man one vote, there will be no accountability and no responsibility”
**** “Democracy is a journey that every nation mindful of advancing the liberty of its citizens must undertake”
**** “Nobody’s political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian”
**** “Our votes must count! One man, one vote! One woman, one vote! One youth, one vote!”
**** “Nobody should rig for me. I am assuring Nigerians that though I am contesting, nobody must manipulate votes in my favour. Our votes must count”
**** “I congratulate the candidates of the other political parties. I regard them not as opponents, but as partners”
**** “In presenting myself for service, I make no pretence that I have a magic wand that will solve all of Nigeria’s problems or that I am the most intelligent Nigerian”
**** “I have come to launch a campaign of ideas, not one of calumny. I have come to preach love, not hate. I have come to break you away from divisive tendencies of the past which have slowed our drive to true nationhood. I have no enemies to fight. You are all my friends and we share a common destiny.”
**** "Democracy calls for sacrifice and tolerance, an open ear and a strong voice”
**** “For the PDP family, the contest for party offices does not produce winners and losers”
**** “I believe in the politics of give and take”
**** “Separation of power is not separation of government”
**** “We are all Nigerians and I will be a President to all. T his is the new dawn we crave”
**** “Our unity is firm, our purpose strong, our determination unshakable”
**** “Being a Nigerian is a blessing [and] a great responsibility”
**** “We have a duty to be loyal to our country”
**** “Our founding fathers... did not dream of a country where neighbours and friends would exchange bullets in place of handshakes”
**** “I prefer to see the silver lining in the dark cloud rather than the dark cloud in the silver lining”
**** “We may not have overcome our challenges, but neither have our challenges overcome us”
**** “We are not sworn enemies... We are neighbours who sometimes offend each other but can always sit down to talk over our differences”
**** “Over-dependence on oil has put an unpleasant bracket in our national economic freedom”
**** “Economic diplomacy does not need to be a zero-sum game where the gain of partner automatically translates to the loss of the other”
**** “Peace and security are the barest, irreducible conditions for social and economic development”
**** “I am loyal to Nigeria’s economy. I don’t have accounts or property abroad. All my children live and school in Nigeria”
**** “The time of lamentation is over. T his is the era of transformation. This is the time for action”
**** “Cynicism and scepticism will not help our journey to greatness. Let us all believe in a new Nigeria”
**** “The goal of achieving positive macroeconomic stability is no end in itself”
**** “I have no intention to inflict pain on Nigerians. To save Nigeria, we must all be prepared to make sacrifices”
**** “While we may not have landed a spaceship on the moon or developed nuclear technology, our inventors and innovators have made globally acknowledged contributions”
**** “Transformation in my view simply means taking what you have and making the best of it and in so doing produce results that can bring about a paradigm shift”
**** “Let me put you on notice: the assignment of offices is not an allocation of privileges”
**** “Nigeria is a nation of resilient people. We will never yield to the forces of darkness. Nigeria will never, ever, disintegrate”
**** “I was not born rich, and in my youth, I never imagined that I would be where I am today, but not once did I ever give up”
**** “As the most populous black nation on earth, it seems our manifest destiny is to champion the cause of African emancipation and integration”
**** “We have a duty to stand firm against those who threaten the sovereign integrity of the Nigerian state. Our will is strong, because our faith lies in the indivisibility of Nigeria”
**** “Nigerians are peace-loving people; these sad events perpetrated by those who do not wish our nation well have not changed the essential character of our people”
**** “No matter what it takes, we will win this war against terror”
**** “Africa must declare an end to the era of self-inflicted wars and conflicts”
**** “Africa must turn its begging bowls into baskets of prosperity and opportunity”
**** “It is the supreme task of this generation to give hope to the hopeless, strength to the weak and protection to the defenceless”
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