My wife and I have been hiding, says Jonathan

Former president, Goodluck Jonathan, on Wednesday said him and his wife have been “hiding” since he left office.

He said they intended staying off the public for up to a year but the demise of HID Awolowo had altered that plan.

He described the deceased as “a woman of virtue, who had the milk of kindness”, saying “God brought her for all of us”.

He was speaking when he paid a condolence visit to the Ikenne home of the Awolowos over the death of the matriarch of the dynasty,

“Within this period, myself and my wife have been hiding; we don’t even go out,” he said.

“We said we would be hiding from public life for at least 12 months but in this particular case, we cannot hide. We have come to pay condolence to the Awolowo family because we are together.

“Me and my wife are not mourning because mama has passed on. We believe that it’s a rare privilege to add extra 29 years to the Biblical two scores and ten.

“She was a mother to all of us; a mother that had milk of kindness and we still need her milk of encouragement.

“The former secretary to the government said the last time I came here, it was associated with electioneering campaign but I have been here severally to see mama.”

Jonathan was accompanied by Gbenga Daniel, former governor of Ogun state; Emeka Anyaoku, former Commonwealth secretary-general; Mulikat Adeola, former member of the house of representatives; and Jide Adeniji, former chairman of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA); and some key personalities.