Goodluck Jonathan (20 November 1957-) was President of Nigeria from 5 May 2010 to 29 May 2015, succeeding Umaru Yar'Adua and preceding Muhammadu Buhari.
Biography[]
Goodluck Jonathan was born to a Christian Ijaw family in Ogbia, Bayelsa State, Nigeria in 1957, and he worked as an education inspector, lecturer, and environmental protection officer before entering politics in 1998. In 1999, he became Deputy Governor of Bayelsa, and he went on to serve as Governor from 2005 to 2007. From 2007 to 2010, he served as Vice President under Umaru Yar'Adua, and he took over as President in 2010 when Yar'Adua died in office. His presidency was marked by several setbacks with Boko Haram, and his government failed to rescue the 200 kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls; he initially denied that there was even an abduction at all. In 2012, he ended fuel subsidies despite 80% of the population supporting them, and, in January 2014, he passed a law prohibiting same-sex marriages after a poll stated that 98% of Nigerians opposed gay rights. Corruption flourished under Jonathan's government, with ₦3.98 trillion disappearing, ₦398 billion of military funds being dispersed among high-ranknig officials, and ₦3 trillion from the Central Bank of Nigeria being used to finance Jonathan's election campaigns. In 2015, the corrupt Jonathan was defeated for re-election by former President Muhammadu Buhari, and Jonathan became the first sitting President of Nigeria to concede electoral defeat.
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