Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, GCFR, GCON, born November 20, 1957, better known as Goodluck Jonathan, is a Nigerian politician who served as the President of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He was born in Ogbia to a Christian family of canoe makers from the Ijaw minority ethnicity in Bayelsa state.
Wiki Profile
| Full Name: | Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan |
| Date of Birth: | November 20, 1957 |
| Place of Birth: | Ogbia |
| State of Origin: | Bayelsa |
| Nationality: | Nigerian |
| Occupation: | Politician |
| Net Worth: | $10million |
| Wife: | Dame Patience Jonathan |
Early Life and Education
Goodluck Jonathan was born in the Ijaw minority ethnicity of Bayelsa state to a Christian family of canoe manufacturers in Ogbia.
He had his primary and secondary school education in Bayelsa, where he obtained both his first school leaving certificate and senior secondary school certificate, respectively.
From the University of Port Harcourt, he earned a bachelor’s degree in zoology with honors, a master’s degree in hydrobiology and fisheries biology, and a PhD in zoology.
Career
He worked as an education inspector, a lecturer, and an environmental protection officer before entering politics in 1998.
Jonathan was sworn in as Deputy Governor of Bayelsa on May 29, 1999, alongside Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, who was elected governor of the state on the PDP platform. Jonathan was the Deputy Governor from December 2005 to December 2006.
Jonathan, who was the deputy governor at the time, was sworn in as the governor of Bayelsa State on December 9, 2005, after the Bayelsa State Assembly impeached the current governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, for money laundering in the United Kingdom.
Jonathan kept a modest profile as a vice president. While acknowledging the vice-constitutional president’s limitations, he attended cabinet meetings and was a member of the National Security Council, the National Defence Council, the Federal Executive Council, and the chairman of the National Economic Council by statute.
As part of a government amnesty program, Goodluck Jonathan was key in striking an arrangement with many of the major militant groups in the Niger Delta to lay down their weapons and cease fighting.
Due to President Yar’Adua’s medical treatment in Saudi Arabia in November 2009, Goodluck Jonathan was named Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on February 9, 2010, following a contentious doctrine of necessity from the Nigerian Senate.
Jonathan made a small cabinet reshuffle on his first day as acting president, February 10, 2010.
Following President Umaru Yar’Adua’s death on May 5, 2010, acting President Goodluck Jonathan was sworn in as the substantive president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on May 6, 2010, in accordance with the Nigerian constitution’s order of succession.
Jonathan’s nomination of Kaduna State governor Namadi Sambo to replace him as vice president was approved by the National Assembly on May 18, 2010.
In 2011, Jonathan and Vice-President Sambo campaigned for the nation’s highest office by attending political events and traveling across the country.
On May 29, 2011, he was sworn in as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, becoming the country’s 14th Head of State.
In his inaugural address, he claimed that his government will focus on the Transformation Agenda and committed to continue executing President Umaru Musa Yar’adua’s seven-point policy framework.
His administration will focus on anti-corruption, power, and electoral reforms, he said. He explained that he was elected in “extremely sad and unique circumstances.”
Jonathan conceded the election to opponent Muhammadu Buhari on March 31, 2015, and was inaugurated to succeed him on May 29, 2015. “Nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian,” Jonathan declared in a statement released on March 31, 2015.
Jonathan has continued to defend his administration since leaving office. He was named honorary special adviser to the Bayelsa Education Trust Fund Board in 2019.
Goodluck Jonathan was elected chairperson of the newly established International Summit Council for Peace in June 2019. (ISCP).
Jonathan was named Special Envoy of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in July 2020, to oversee mediation negotiations during the Malian demonstrations in 2020.
Goodluck Jonathan Net Worth
Goodluck Jonathan is a Nigerian politician and former president of Nigeria. He has an estimated net worth of $10 million. Jonathan disclosed a total of 295,304,420 (equivalent to US$8,569,662) in assets in 2007.
Personal Life
Jonathan has two children with his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan: Ariwera (Son) and Aruabai (Daughter) (daughter).
