He is the son of a
canoe-carver, a mild-
mannered academic who
wears a fedora but eschews
the flowing robes and
bombastic brashness that
often characterize Africa's
"Big Man" leaders.
When elected president in
April 2011, he was described
as "Nigeria's Obama," a
leader who would bring
change to the oil-rich but
poverty-ridden nation.
His countrymen believed a
divine hand orchestrated his
success. After all, his name
spoke of his destiny:
Goodluck Jonathan.
Now, just nine months after
his election, Jonathan is an
embattled leader whose
popularity has plummeted. A
Christian from southern
Nigeria, he faces the
challenges of growing
sectarian violence and angry
citizens who took to the
streets in recent weeks,
carrying mock coffins and
placards calling him
"President Badluck."
Protests over his decision to
end fuel subsidies escalated
to include discontent at
corruption, mass
unemployment and lack of
infrastructure.
For many Nigerians, most of
whom are struggling to get
by on less than $2 a day,
change is not coming quickly
enough.
No longer content with
'suffering and smiling'
Humble beginnings
So why the loss of good
will?
Journalist and
commentator Tolu
Ogunlesi suggests that
Nigerians desperately
wanted to believe in
Jonathan's capacity to
bring change, largely
because they liked his
humility and identified with
him.
Goodluck Jonathan, or GEJ as
he is more commonly known,
used his humble beginnings
as political capital during his
election campaign last year.
In an oft-repeated speech, he
said, "In my early days in
school I had no shoes, no
school bags. I carried my
books in my hands but never
despaired, no car to take me
to school, but I never
despaired.
"There were days I had only
one meal, but I never
despaired. I walked miles
and crossed rivers to school
every day, but I never
despaired. [I] didn't have
power, didn't have
generators, studied with
lanterns, but I never
despaired.
"In spite of these, I finished
secondary school, attended
the University of Port
Harcourt, and now hold a
doctorate degree. Fellow
Nigerians, if I could make it,
you too can make it!"
Citizens lapped up this man-
of-the-people rhetoric, says
Ogunlesi, a former recipient
of the CNN African journalist
award. "He came out of
nowhere, and we all love an
underdog."
Even his name seemed
to hold promise.
Nigerians believe one's
name can help shape a
person's destiny. So
they tend to bestow on
their children names
with significant meaning.
It is not uncommon to
meet people named
Fortune, Happiness,
Charity, God's Gift.
Names given in their
native language are also
imbued with symbolic and
often religious meaning.
Jonathan's middle name,
Ebele, means "God's Wish."
His late father, Lawrence,
was quoted as saying in a
biography of the president
that he "called him Goodluck
because although life was
hard for me when he was
born, I had this feeling that
this boy would bring me good
luck."
His meteoric rise -- from
lowly civil servant to
president of Africa's most
populous nation -- seemed to
trade on fortune. His political
career began when he was
elected deputy governor of
Bayelsa, a small state in
Nigeria's oil-producing Niger
Delta region, then quickly
became governor when his
predecessor was impeached
on corruption charges.
From there he rose to
national office -- handpicked
by party leaders to be vice
president, then succeeded
President Umaru Yar'Adua
after the incumbent died in
office. Just over a year later,
he was elected in his own
right.
In a country where would-be
politicians spend millions of
dollars campaigning,
Jonathan never actively
sought or hustled for political
office.
He has simply been at the
right place at the right time,
patiently waiting for events
to unfold in his favor.
The fall from grace
Critics say the loss of trust in
Jonathan's administration did
not happen overnight. They
cite a series of blunders,
beginning with his effort, just
months after his election, to
extend the presidency term
from four to six years.
He is also accused of being
completely inept at handling
the security issues posed by
Boko Haram, a shadowy
militant Islamic group that is
said to favor strict Sharia
law, and which is frequently
blamed for the sectarian
violence that is threatening
the unity of the country.
"Jonathan has come across
as clueless when it comes to
dealing with Boko Haram,"
Ogunlesi said. "No senior
security officers have lost
their jobs, nothing seems to
have been done."
But it is the abrupt removal
of the fuel subsidy, in what
has been described as a
callous New Year's Day "gift"
that proved unacceptable for
many Nigerians. There has
been intense speculation in
the country that the decision
came suddenly because of
pressure from the
International Monetary Fund.
The announcement coincided
with a visit to the country by
IMF head Christine Lagarde
weeks earlier.
"The fuel subsidy removal is
the final straw. I've never
seen such a massive loss of
good will in so little time,"
Ogunlesi said.
What is behind fuel protests?
Jonathan also "outraged"
Nigerians when talking about
Boko Haram recently after
admitting there were
sympathizers of the Islamic
group within his government.
"Nigerians find it outrageous
to hear him say this about his
government, which he had a
major part in putting
together," says Nigerian
political journalist Terfa
Tilley-Gyado. "People would
like to know who they are
and what efforts are being
made to prosecute them."
Perhaps mindful of the
deposed governments in
other countries across the
continent, the president
acted quickly and decisively
to crush the growing
resistance, deploying the
military onto the streets with
a mandate to use force on
protesters.
Nigerians took to the streets
on January 2, prompting him
to meet with union leaders
who demanded a return to
the petrol pump price of 65
naira (40 cents). Negotiations
have gone back and forth,
and the most recent price
concession of 97 naira (60
cents) appears to have
appeased union leaders who
called off nationwide strikes.
A weak -- or deliberate --
leader?
Political opponents argue
that Jonathan, a biologist
with a doctorate in zoology,
does not have the political
mettle to do business in
Nigeria's tough-guy political
arena.
Human rights lawyer
and activist Femi
Falana has known
Jonathan for more than
a decade since he was
a governor of Bayelsa state.
"Jonathan is a good guy who
finds it difficult to offend
people," he says. "A lot of
people around him try to
take advantage of this good
disposition.
"He needs to put his foot
down and make his mind.
He's very slow."
"He has failed to move
against the oil cartel holding
the country ransom," Falana
continued.
"He doesn't get tough on
companies like Shell to clean
up when there are massive
oil spills, like Obama did with
BP in the Gulf of Mexico.
Jonathan is a likable guy, but
it takes more than that to
govern this country."
Last September
Jonathan responded to
his critics during a
speech: "I don't need to
be a lion, I don't need to
operate like the pharaoh
of Egypt, I don't need to
be an army general, but
I can change this
country without those
traits."
Those close to him
describe a measured,
contemplative man who likes
to consult widely before
making decisions.
HRH King A.J. Turner, a close
adviser who has known
Jonathan since their
university days, told CNN,
"The Jonathan I know doesn't
rush into making decisions
and likes to involve a wide
range of people and experts.
That process takes time and
can appear slow, but that is
his style."
Friends say one of the
biggest misconceptions
about Jonathan is that he is
weak. "The same people
calling him weak are the
same ones now saying he's a
dictator. I feel so sad when
people say things about
him," Turner said.
Turner, former managing
director of the Niger Delta
Development Commission,
says Jonathan is a loyal
friend who has competitive
instincts -- at least on the
squash courts, a sport he
plays "religiously."
"He has beaten me a few
times," he adds.
He describes a man who
unwinds from the stresses of
the job by listening to the
music of legendary Afrobeat
musician Fela Kuti.
"He loves Fela's music so
much," Turner says. But
Fela's brash revolutionary
style of music might make
uncomfortable listening for
Jonathan these days.
Before he died, Fela Kuti
frequently clashed with the
authorities, and his youngest
son, Seun Kuti, was among
those leading demonstrations
against GEJ's government
during the uprising against
fuel prices.
Even Jonathan's wife,
Patience, has seemed a
liability for the president. She
has faced unproven
allegations of corruption and
is frequently the butt of jokes
because of what others
describe as her poor grasp of
English.
A U.S. diplomatic cable
released by WikiLeaks and
reported in the Nigerian
media only added to his
image as a weak leader: It
stated that the First Lady
"runs her own show, and the
husband has little or no
control over her."
The Facebook president
and the future
Just as protesters have
successfully used social
media to organize
demonstrations under the
"Occupy Nigeria" moniker,
Jonathan has also been
adept at using Facebook to
engage with Nigerian youth,
who voted overwhelmingly
for him.
Bridging Nigeria's digital
divide
He was the first Nigerian
leader to have a Facebook
page and has been dubbed
"the Facebook president." He
makes frequent updates --
which appear to be written
by him -- but his page is now
a receptacle of the public's
anger against him, with
numerous insults being
posted there.
Turner says Nigerians "don't
like to support their leaders"
but need to give Jonathan
time.
"Nigerians should allow him
time to focus on what he
wants to achieve. He has not
been in power for a long
time. He has not been given
any breathing space to focus
on the issues," he said.
In a January 7 speech,
Jonathan said elimination of
the subsidy was a tough but
necessary choice for the
country's economic future. "I
am determined to leave
behind a better Nigeria that
we all can be proud of. To do
so, I must make sure that we
have the resources and the
means to grow our economy
to be resilient and to sustain
improved livelihood for our
people. We must act in the
public interest, no matter
how tough, for the pains of
today cannot be compared to
the benefits of tomorrow.

http://on.cnn.com/Aqoxpm

I really love this piece