The Truth About Jonathan's Good Luck

Immediately after the surprise nomination of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as PDP’s vice presidential candidate in the 2007 presidential elections, many have attributed his uncharted rise to prominence to luck. A lot of people quickly pointed out the source of his luck to his first name- Goodluck. Personally, I do not think so. This is because; I know of over twenty people that share the same first name with the president but have experienced great misfortune in their careers. That does not in anyway dismiss the merit in a good name.

The success of every human is determined by varying factors. Prominent among them are destiny, hardwork, patience, and faith. God has destined every man for excellence in one field or the other. One would only appear to be lucky when he or she identifies God’s destiny and pursues it with hardwork, patience, and loyalty.

Goodluck Jonathan did not just identify God’s destiny concerning his life; he was known to be hardworking right from his primary school days. Hardwork earned him the position of a prefect in Mater Dei High School, Imiringi in Bayelsa State. It was hardwork that made him graduate with a second class upper degree in the University of Port Harcourt. His spirit of hardwork caused him to brave the numerous challenges surrounding his fragile youth to acquire masters and doctorate degrees early in life.

As for his level of patience; Goodluck Jonathan is one that would ignore every temptation to “wait for his turn” as destined by God. He believes that life is a queue and as such, everybody’s turn must surely come. Many have actually missed their turns because they jumped the queue of life. Goodluck Jonathan waited patiently for his turn. This could be the only reason why he was able to rise from the position of deputy governor of Bayelsa State to president of the federal republic of Nigeria. Today, he has become the benchmark of loyalty in Nigeria. Right from his days as deputy governor to when he was vice president under the late Alhaji Musa Yar’Adua; Goodluck Jonathan had believed that loyalty has to be 100%. His strong belief in 100% loyalty has most times earned him thump-downs from his admirers while he was deputy governor and vice president.

But most importantly; Goodluck Jonathan did not sleep and wait for his first name to do the magic for him. He did not also fold his hands and rely on his being a native of Nigeria’s oil producing region. He went to school, identified his destiny, served his society, and waited patiently for his turn. Dr. Goodluck Jonathan is destined for leadership. No nation would experience growth and prosperity if those not primed for it are in power.