Encomium
DAME Patience Jonathan is perhaps the most influential African woman right now.
And occupying the exalted office of the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria makes her indispensable in Aso Rock.
Here are more reasons President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan cannot do without Patience.
PATIENCE IS THE CLOSEST PERSON TO JONATHAN
Dame Patience Jonathan shares the same bed with her hubby. And mindful of her spousal right, she holds sway as the matriarch of Aso Rock, irrespective of what anybody says about Jonathan’s other women. It is this closeness that gives her a special place in President Jonathan’s life.
HER LOYALTY
A woman after her hubby’s heart, the First Lady is said to be fiercely loyal to him. She has remained so even when Jonathan had nothing. These virtues of faithfulness and loyalty have really made way for Patience.
BEING BOLD AND BLUNT
Another reason President Jonathan cannot do without his lovely wife is her boldness and being blunt to a fault. This, insiders say, impresses the President.
PATIENCE IS A MEMBER OF JONATHAN’S KITCHEN CABINET
You know the kitchen cabinet is as influential as the Federal Executive Council. And when one finds oneself there, her value is upped. That’s the fate of Patience Jonathan who wields enormous influence there.
PATIENCE JONATHAN’S POLITICAL CLOUT
Take it or leave it, the First Lady is a stakeholder in some states of the Federation. In her Rivers and Bayelsa home states, Patience is believed to have formidable political structures. She also occasionally extends her influence to neighbouring Abia, her maternal home and some other South East states and beyond. A woman with such political clout and leverage cannot be toyed with.
PATIENCE IS HIGHLY CONNECTED
With her numerous associates across the nation, Patience Jonathan has not squandered her goodwill. She keeps appeasing them with favours, while they support her husband. Everywhere she goes, she carries her select friends who are mainly pillars of commerce and high society; one of whom is billionaire oil mogul, Hajia Bola Shagaya. All these contacts help Jonathan a lot.
HER SPIRITUAL VALUE
Patience is Jonathan’s spiritual backbone. A devout Christian who believes so much in the supernatural, she has loads of men and women of God who intercede for the President. You would notice that Aso Rock is bubbling with more religious activities under the present administration. Other than the Chaplain, a family friend of the Jonathans before they came to Aso Rock, Patience consults widely when she seeks God’s mind as regards her husband. President Jonathan is well pleased with his darling wife for all of these.
PATIENCE IS GENEROUS AND COMPASSIONATE
Jonathan cannot do without Patience because of her generosity. Said to be accommodating and liberal minded, she played a great role in what the President is today. And Jonathan cannot forget her sacrifice.
HER NO NONSENSE MIEN
The First Lady is an action woman. She smells deceptive people from a distance and disconnects them from Mr. President before they betray him. Jonathan occasionally follows her advice, though there are also instances he ignores her. Most times, to his peril.
-UCHE OLEHI
