President Goodluck Jonathan says he remains calm in the face of attacks by the opposition because “I am not desperate to continue in office”.
He was speaking in Abuja on Friday at the launch of “The People’s Choice: The Story of President Goodluck Jonathan”, a four-part biography written on him by Charles Imokhai, a reverend father.
Jonathan said: “[My message] to politicians is that for all of us who want to serve, we should be ready to serve but we should not be desperate to serve our people.
“Sometimes, people ask me that Mr. President, from what we read and what we see, we see you still smiling and unruffled.
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“Yes, nothing will really ruffle me because I am willing and ready to serve but I am not desperate to serve. That is what keeps me going.
“All of us who want to hold offices from the least, a counsellor of a ward or a chairman of a council, a member of the state house of assembly or member of house of representatives, senate, governor or the president, if all of us are always ready and willing to serve our people but we are not desperate in our mission, then of course Nigeria will be a better place for all of us.”
He said most accounts of his life so far published “are not accurate” but that he would write the most accurate one after leaving office.
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Jonathan also explained his passion for education, saying: “My dream is that one day, a product of almajiri school will stand here as a president of this country.
“That is why I have been very passionate about education and I tell people that I grew up from a very poor background. But luckily Nigeria does not operate a caste system. If I was to be an Indian, I probably wouldn’t even dream of being a commissioner in my state.
“This is because in a caste society some people permanently belong to a lower class but Nigeria is an open society, so you can move from the lowest level to the top. But for you to do that one key thing is education and that is why I lay so much emphasis on education.
“That was why when I came here, I decided that every state must have a federal university.”
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Yakubu Gowon, a retired general and former head of state, acted as the chairman of the book launch after Yusuff Maitama Sule had to travel back to Kano reportedly to attend to his ailing wife.
Over N170 million was realised from the launch “for social projects nationwide”, according to the author.
10 comments
Calmness of the spirit and mind is the virtue of a good leader and President Jonathan has got it plenty.
Its a clear deviation from what we see today where desperation has taken over many in the field of politics. So sad.
If President Jonathan did not have this virtue, more than half of our newspaper houses and other media houses would have been shut down and many journalists jailed for abusing the president anyhow.
For every office, there are qualities to possess.
@Salam, GEJ is not calm for this elections: He has visited everywhere for prayers; I won’t be surprised if he had secretly gone to the Okija shrine
My brother don’t forget we are in a democrative government no president have any right to jail anybody without evidence so jona knows that he didn’t have the power
Your comment..Nigeria my lovely country with plenty resources all over, let’s those who plan to devide US isn’t the best, however they are free to join us to invest then killing innocent soil, God the creator of universe put us where we are, pls let’s be where we are, the world has enough to go round, i beg the western world to allow us to leave peacefull!
U’re indeed not desperate but u re going abt visiting very cat and dog jst to be sure dey are on u’re side
Jona or fish,the one you are supporting dont he seek people’s votes.
Your comment..Desperation and passion for success are not same.
Jona, do u run politics by sitting and folding ur hands! Besides, d people u r supporting, r they folding there hands. Think about ur statement again.
GEJ has the temperament of a good leader. Stoic taking criticisms in its own stride and regarding abuse as political professional hazard.
It is a lie, Jonathan is very desperate, if he is not desperate why the sponsoring of deformation of character against the opposition leaders? Why going around the south west for initiation into cults? Why the spending of dollars for the people of South west so that they can vote for you? Why sponsoring the OPC to demonstrate against Jega, the INEC chairman.