PATIENCE FAKA JONATHAN: AN UNAUTHORISED BIOGRAPHY

Patience Faka Jonathan was born on 25th October, 1957,in Port Harcourt, present day Bayelsa state, Nigeria. She is married to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan , hence she is currently First lady of Nigeria.

According to Wikipedia, she earned her school certificate in 1976, and passed the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in 1980. In 1989, she obtained the National Certificate of Education (NCE) in Mathematics and Biology from the Rivers State College of Arts and Science, Port Harcourt. She then proceeded to the University of Port Harcourt and studied for a B.Ed in Biology and Psychology.

Patience Jonathan started her career as a teacher at the Stella Maris College, Port Harcourt and Sports Institute Isake. She then moved to the banking sector in 1997, where she established the first community bank in Port Harcourt called the Akpo Community Bank.

She served as Marketing Manager of Imiete Community Bank. She returned to the classroom briefly again as a teacher. Eventually she was transferred to the Bayelsa State Ministry of Education, where she served until 29 May 1999 when her husband became the Deputy Governor of the state.

Patience Jonathan, in her capacity as  the first Lady of Bayelsa State between 2005 and 2007, when her husband Goodluck Jonathan served as Governor, she founded many philanthropic and women empowerment programs, among them are the A-Aruere Reachout Foundation (AARF), which she set up to improve the status and earning capacity of Nigerian women and youths. The foundation already has its focus on supporting and assisting children with heart-related problems.

On 12 July 2012, she was appointed as permanent secretary in Bayelsa state by a Governor, Henry Seriake Dickson

Patience Jonathan has been recognized locally, nationally and internationally for her philanthropic work and political pragmatism. She received the “Beyond The Tears” International Humanitarian Award New York, USA, in 2008, for her role in the global fight against HIV/AIDS; the African Goodwill Ambassador Award (Los Angeles, USA, 2008) and the recipient of the "Wind of Change" Award from the South/South Women’s Organization.

In recent past, Mrs Jonathan committed some grammatical blunders she was addressing her people thus:‘’  My Husband and Sambo is a good people . The President was once a Child and the Senators were once a Children. My Fellow Widows. A Good Mother takes care of his Children. The people sitting before you here were once a Children. Yes we are all happy for the effort,it is not easy to carry second in an international competition like this one – Addressing Press men after Female Under 19 Fifa World Cup. The Bombers who born them?wasn’t it not a woman? They were once a Children now a adult now they are bombing women and children making some children a widow. My Heart feels sorry for these Children who have become Widows by losing their Parents for one reason or another. We should have love for our fellow Nigerians irrespective of their NATIONALITY?. vote UMBLERRA and press your finger for UMBLERRA’’

The most recent is the controversy during the crisis over 230 girls abducted by Boko Haram.  First lady in her televised lamentation about the whole Chibok kidnapping drama when she said thus: ‘Do u come with 2teachers or u weren't informed too? Continuuu no Problem God will see us. There's God. There's God in everything we re doing. Those Bloods thatre sharing in Borno will answer. What of 2teachers Waec. Do u come with any? Plincipa notu u only u Waka come? Okay. Now d first Lady calling u,I want to help u. Come to find ur Paren ur Child dat missing child,will u keep quiet? No Cheii Cheii.There's Goduuuu oo. There's Goduuu oo. The Bloods we re sharing. There's Goduuuuu oooo. There's Goduuuuu’

According to  Wasiu Deji Sodeinde , in his write-up , he wrote ‘’After reading the many faux pas of the Nigerian first lady: Patience Jonathan, I became curious and wanted to know more about the educational background of the woman whose many utterances have become subject of ridicules on the social media. I was amazed by what I gathered from my search. .......If the above biography is true about Mrs. Jonathan, I think those criticizing the lady are very unfair to her. They are unfair because, they failed to see her special attributes. She appears to be a very slow learner and may have learning disability.

I have no doubt that in my mind that she is trying very hard to learn how to be a First Lady.
And if Patience' critics have been patient enough to go through her bio-data, they would have known that she didn't graduate from primary school until she was 19 and managed to pass her WASCE in 1980 (At the ripe age of 23 when people of her age were already leaving university. She also had her NCE nine years later (in 1989 at the motherly age of 32) ‘’

On this note, I am appealing on behalves of our dear first lady to please stop criticizing her...learning is a continuous process.