Goodluck Jonathan
Encyclopedia
Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, GCFR
Order of the Federal Republic
The Federal Republic of Nigeria has instituted two orders of merit, the Order of the Federal Republic and the Order of the Niger after gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1960....

, BNER
Orders, decorations, and medals of Nigeria
Nigerian National Honours are a set of orders and decorations conferred upon Nigerians and friends of Nigeria every year. They were instituted by the National Honors Act No...

, GCON
Order of the Niger
Nigeria became independent on 1st October, 1960 and in 1964 Nigeria became the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The republic instituted two orders of merit: the Order of the Niger and the Order of the Federal Republic...

 (born 20 November 1957) is the 14th Head of State and current President
President of Nigeria
The President of Nigeria is the Head of State and head of the national executive. Officially styled President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The current President of Nigeria is Goodluck Jonathan.-History:On October 1, 1960, Nigeria gained...

 of Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

.

He was Governor of Bayelsa State
Bayelsa State
Bayelsa State is a state in southern Nigeria in the core Niger Delta region, between Delta State and Rivers State. Its capital is Yenagoa. The language spoken here is Ijaw language and dialects of the Ijaw language such as Nembe, Atissa, Akassa, Ogbia, etc. However, like the rest of Nigeria,...

 from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party
People's Democratic Party (Nigeria)
The People's Democratic Party is a political party in Nigeria. Its policies generally lie towards the right wing of the political spectrum. It has won every single Presidential elections since 1999, namely: 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011, and is the dominant party in the Fourth Republic.-History:In...

 (PDP). On 13 January 2010, a federal court handed him the power to carry out state affairs while President Umaru Yar'Adua received medical treatment in a Saudi Arabian hospital. A motion from the Nigerian Senate
Senate of Nigeria
The Senate is the upper house of the National Assembly of Nigeria. It consists of 109 senators: the 36 states are divided in 3 senatorial districts each electing one senator; the Federal Capital Territory elects only one senator....

 on 9 February 2010 confirmed these powers to act as President, in recognition of her opinion. On 24 February 2010, Yar'Adua returned to Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

, but Jonathan continued as acting president. Upon Yar'Adua's death on 5 May 2010, Jonathan succeeded to the Presidency, taking the oath of office on 6 May 2010.

Early life, education and personal life

Jonathan was born in Otueke in Ogbia
Ogbia
Ogbia is a Local Government Area of Bayelsa State in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Ogbia in the south of the area at....

 Local Government Area of the then Eastern Region
Eastern Region, Nigeria
The Eastern Region was one of Nigeria's federal divisions, dating back originally from the division of the colony Southern Nigeria in 1954. Its capital was Enugu. The region was official divided in 1967 into three new states, East-Central State, Rivers State and South-Eastern State...

, later Rivers State
Rivers State
Rivers State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria. Its capital is Port Harcourt. It is bounded on the South by the Atlantic Ocean, to the North by Imo, Abia and Anambra States, to the East by Akwa Ibom State and to the West by Bayelsa and Delta states...

, now Bayelsa State
Bayelsa State
Bayelsa State is a state in southern Nigeria in the core Niger Delta region, between Delta State and Rivers State. Its capital is Yenagoa. The language spoken here is Ijaw language and dialects of the Ijaw language such as Nembe, Atissa, Akassa, Ogbia, etc. However, like the rest of Nigeria,...

 to a family of canoe makers.
Jonathan holds a B.Sc.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

 degree in Zoology in which he attained Second Class Honours, Upper Division. He also holds an M.Sc.
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...

 degree in Hydrobiology and Fisheries biology, and a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...

 degree in Zoology from the University of Port Harcourt
University of Port Harcourt
The University of Port Harcourt is a university in the Nigerian city of Port Harcourt. It was established in 1975 as University College, Port Harcourt, and was given university status in 1977.-Faculties:...

. After obtaining his degree, he worked as an education inspector, lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...

, and environmental-protection officer, until he decided to enter politics in 1998.

Jonathan and his wife,Patience
Patience Jonathan
Patience Jonathan is the current First Lady of Nigeria. She is married to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.-Education:...

, have two children. He is a member of the Ijaw ethnic group.

Presidency

Former President Umaru Yar'Adua died on 5 May 2010. Goodluck Jonathan was sworn in as Yar'Adua's successor on the following day, becoming Nigeria's 14th Head of State, to serve until the next election, in 2011, at which time he could elect to run again, which he has done.
Upon taking office, he cited anti-corruption, power and electoral reform as focuses of his administration. He stated that he came to office under "very sad and unusual circumstances".

On 18 May 2010, the National Assembly approved President Jonathan's nomination of former Kaduna State
Kaduna State
-History:The state is the successor to the old Northern Region of Nigeria, which had its capital at Kaduna. In 1967 this was split up into six states, one of which was the North-Central State, whose name was changed to Kaduna State in 1976. This was further divided in 1987, losing the area now part...

 governor, Namadi Sambo, an architect, for the position of Vice President.

On June 29, 2010, President Goodluck Jonathan launched a Facebook fan-page; The president said that he launched his page in fulfillment of a promise he made earlier in the year to interact more with Nigerians.

On the 26th of August, 2010 President Goodluck Jonathan launched the most comprehensive plan which it tagged ‘Roadmap for Power Sector Reform’ aimed at restructuring the power sector and achieving stable electricity in the country. The President in his speech, identified the factors that affected reliable electricity service delivery to include the absence of a sustained and deliberately deployed long term power development strategy, under exploitation of the nation’s abundant energy endowments and the absence of adequate implementation of reforms.

On the 15th of September, 2010, President Jonathan, in a message on his Facebook Page, said he had finally decided to run for the presidency after wide consultations with various organizations across the country. This single action of his made him the first ever sitting President to declare his re-election bid via social media.

On the 20th of December, 2010 President Goodluck Jonathan, flagged off the national book campaign tagged 'Bring Back The Book', and presented his book, My Friends and I: conversations on policy and governance via Facebook to the public. He declared that the fight to bring back the book should be supported by all Nigerians, as the project provided Nigeria a sure path to technological growth. He further said that his government was encouraging a culture of catch-them-young so as to secure the future of the children.

On 14 January 2011, President Jonathan was elected as the Presidential flag-bearer of the ruling People's Democratic Party for the 2011 Presidential election by 77.7% of valid votes cast. He faced other candidates in the April 16, 2011 general election, including Mallam Nuhu Ribadu of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari was a military ruler of Nigeria and an unsuccessful candidate for president in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 presidential elections...

 of Congress for Progressive Change
Congress for Progressive Change
The Congress for Progressive Change is a political party founded in Nigeria in 2009 in preparation for the April 2011 elections.It is the 63rd political party to be founded in the country and also the last political party to be registered in Nigeria....

 (CPC). On April 18, 2011, Goodluck Jonathan was declared the winner of the 2011 Nigerian presidential election. His election victory was followed by violence in the Northern
Northern Nigeria
Northern Nigeria is a geographical region of Nigeria. It is more arid and less densely populated than the south. The people are largely Muslim, and many are Hausa...

 part of the country.

World Cup controversy

After the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...

 in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

, in which the Nigerian team
Nigeria national football team
The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...

 failed to advance beyond group stage, Jonathan decreed a ban on international games for the football team. FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...

objected to the president's decision and threatened to evict Nigeria from the association. Subsequently he lifted the ban.

Controversy over Ministerial Nominations and Appointments 2011

In 2011, the Nigerian President's failure to nominate and appoint at least 36 indigenes, one for each of the 36 states is in breach of article 147 subsection (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999: "...the President shall appoint at least one Minister from each State, who shall be an indigene of such State".

The President can be taken to constitutional court in Nigeria for noncompliance with Article 147(3) of the constitution.

Nigerian Insecurity and Bomb attacks in Nigeria a key challenge to the President

The Nigerian President was severely criticized in the media over prevalent lack of security and current bomb attacks in the country. This is now a key challenge to President Goodluck Jonathan. On 26 August 2011, the UN building in Abuja was bombed. President Goodluck Jonathan announced that it was not merely an attack on Nigeria, but on the international community. He told reporters that, "we would work together with the UN and other world leaders to ensure that terrorism is brought under control.

President Jonathan is under immense pressure from Nigerians and the international community to end the attacks and to reinforce strong security measures in the country.
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