Patience Jonathan
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Patience Faka Jonathan ( Iwari; born 25 October 1957) is a Nigerian civil servant who served as the
First Lady of Nigeria The first lady of Nigeria is an informal, but accepted title, held by the wife of the president of Nigeria. The current First Lady, first lady is Oluremi Tinubu who has held the title since 29 May 2023. The Constitution of Nigeria does not creat ...
from 2010 to 2015 and second lady of Nigeria from 2007 to 2010. She is the wife of former
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
and
Vice President of Nigeria The vice president of Nigeria is the second-highest official in the Federal government of Nigeria#Executive branch, executive branch of the federal government of Nigeria, after the president of Nigeria, and ranks first in the Nigerian president ...
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (born 20 November 1957) is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to former military head of state General Muhammadu Buhari and w ...
. She served as a Permanent Secretary in
Bayelsa State Bayelsa is a state in the South South region of Nigeria, located in the core of the Niger Delta. Bayelsa State was created in 1996 and was carved out from Rivers State, making it one of the newest states in the federation. The capital, Yenag ...
.


Education

Patience Faka Iwari was born in
Port Harcourt Port Harcourt (Pidgin: ''Po-ta-kot or Pi-ta-kwa)'' is the capital and largest city of Rivers State in Nigeria. It is the fifth most populous city in Nigeria after Lagos, Kano, Ibadan and Benin. It lies along the Bonny River and is locate ...
,
Rivers State Rivers is a states of Nigeria, state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed on 27 May 1967, when it was split from the former Eastern Region, Nigeria, Eastern Region, Rivers State borders include Imo State, Im ...
, Nigeria, where she earned her school certificate in 1976, and passed the
West African School Certificate The West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) is a type of standardized test in West Africa. Students who pass the exam receive a certificate confirming their graduation from secondary education. It is administered by the West Af ...
Examination (WASCE) 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 The University of Port Harcourt is a public research university located in Aluu and Choba, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. It was established in 1975 as University College, Port Harcourt and was given university status in 1977. The Univ ...
and studied for a
BEd A bed is a piece of furniture that is used as a place to sleep, rest, and relax. Most modern beds consist of a soft, cushioned mattress on a bed frame. The mattress rests either on a solid base, often wood slats, or a sprung base. Many beds ...
in Biology and Psychology. She was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Port Harcourt.


Career

Patience started her career as a teacher at the Stella Maris College, Port Harcourt and at the Sports Institute, Isaka. She then moved to the banking sector in 1997 where she served as the marketing manager of Imiete Community Bank. After which she established the first community bank in Port Harcourt called the Akpo Community Bank. She then returned to the classroom briefly again as a teacher. Eventually she was transferred to the
Bayelsa State Bayelsa is a state in the South South region of Nigeria, located in the core of the Niger Delta. Bayelsa State was created in 1996 and was carved out from Rivers State, making it one of the newest states in the federation. The capital, Yenag ...
Ministry of Education, where she served until 29 May 1999, when her husband became the deputy governor of the state. On 12 July 2012, she was appointed as permanent secretary in Bayelsa state by
Henry Seriake Dickson Henry Seriake Dickson CON (born 28 January 1966) is a Nigerian lawyer and politician. He has been the Senator representing Bayelsa West since 2020 in the 9th National Assembly. He was the governor of Bayelsa State from 14 February 2012 to 14 F ...
. The appointment was unique considering she had been on leave from the civil service for over 13 years, since her husband became deputy governor in 1999, and some critics argued it was a national embarrassment highlighting there was no merit or evidence of any recent performance to warrant a promotion to the peak of the civil service. It is alleged that
Henry Seriake Dickson Henry Seriake Dickson CON (born 28 January 1966) is a Nigerian lawyer and politician. He has been the Senator representing Bayelsa West since 2020 in the 9th National Assembly. He was the governor of Bayelsa State from 14 February 2012 to 14 F ...
was sponsored to his governorship position by her husband. She and her husband have two children.


Philanthropic work

Patience 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 was the recipient of the "Wind of Change" Award from the South/South Women's Organization. When Goodluck Jonathan served as a Governor between 2005 and 2007, Patience Jonathan served the state in the capacity of the First Lady of
Bayelsa State Bayelsa is a state in the South South region of Nigeria, located in the core of the Niger Delta. Bayelsa State was created in 1996 and was carved out from Rivers State, making it one of the newest states in the federation. The capital, Yenag ...
, Nigeria. During this period, 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.


Other

It was announced 4 September 2012 that she was hospitalized in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
following a severe bout of
food poisoning Foodborne illness (also known as foodborne disease and food poisoning) is any illness resulting from the contamination of food by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites, as well as prions (the agents of mad cow disease), and toxins such ...
that lasted for days. Patience Jonathan felt sick about 10 days earlier, following her hosting of a summit of first ladies from across
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
. Patience was discharged from the Horst Schmidt Klinik in
Wiesbaden Wiesbaden (; ) is the capital of the German state of Hesse, and the second-largest Hessian city after Frankfurt am Main. With around 283,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 24th-largest city. Wiesbaden form ...
on 2 October 2012. When the national media noticed her unusual disappearance from public view, the approach of her office was to initially deflect attention by denying she was in Germany to utilize the high-quality healthcare provision of the country. Her spokesman, Ayo Osinlu, released a statement stating that she had only gone to Germany "to take time off to rest" and not for medical purposes. This was to avoid highlighting the presidential family were avoiding using the low-quality healthcare system provided for the Nigerian citizens and prefer higher quality foreign provisions for themselves at
taxpayers A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...
expense when needed. Patience Jonathan broke down in tears on hearing the latest news on the abduction of the girls of the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok. She was involved in controversy during the crisis over 230 Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram in north-east Nigeria.


See also

* List of people from Port Harcourt


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jonathan, Patience First ladies of Nigeria Living people People from Port Harcourt 1957 births Nigerian HIV/AIDS activists Nigerian women in politics Politicians from Port Harcourt Nigerian Christians Activists from Rivers State University of Port Harcourt alumni People from Rivers State First ladies of Bayelsa State 21st-century Nigerian women 21st-century Nigerian people