Tribute to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan; the Definer of a New Era. - Mr. Ose Golden

Mr. President, the elections may have come and gone but the lessons remain in our hearts. While many celebrate the winner in a contest as it is traditionally, you have made us this day to celebrate not just the winner of a historic election but to celebrate your person too for being a winner, though not of our votes but our hearts. 

We know that many who supported you, did so for your strengths which include, respect for others, gentlemanliness, restorative abilities, consultative abilities, transformational achievements, humane disposition, sincerity and trust, which was your greatest undoing because many believe that leadership is the ability to crush others or whip them to submission but you proved them wrong.

Those who did not support you saw your strength as weakness. They wanted you to exercise force even when it meant crushing others, take some drastic decisions without recourse to the rule of law or respect for the dignity of the human person, and use the power at your disposal to your gains but these you resisted knowing that you held power in trust for the people to whom power truly belongs. Like David in the bible who had the opportunity to slay Saul but refused, you have written your name in gold as a man after God’s heart and a man whose strength though perceived as weakness has redefined who a hero is. 

Nigerians will ever be grateful for being the definer of a new era of respect for the people and the rule of law, which your predecessor, Late President Yar’adua believed. That you conceded defeat means that you are indeed a winner. You may not have won the votes of all Nigerians within and outside Nigeria, but you have won their hearts and by your actions this day, you have become the one we celebrate today. Rather than allow our blood to be spilled so that you can remain in office, you chose to be the sacrifice so that there will be a people to be governed. You chose not to follow the path of those whose kinsmen and countrymen have been slain for the purpose of power.

Like oil that prevents friction, by your action, you lubricated the joints of our togetherness as a nation so that we can live as one entity. Truly, you believed in the togetherness of our nation. As a symbol of the oil region you came from, rather than use the oil as fuel to consume all of us, you chose to use it as a lubricant, so that we can function well and move in one direction, a direction created by our founding fathers. You put to shame, those who for their selfish gains drummed for war. 

When the story of our democracy is told to future generations, you will not just be a sentence or a paragraph, the entire book will focus on you as the true father of a democratic Nigeria; a father who though is a dear son of the Niger Delta, is indeed greater than his fathers who have ruled Nigeria. Congratulations Mr. President for winning our hearts. 

Long Live Nigeria; one great nation under God! 

Long live Mr. President, our present and future hero!