One of the most Memorable presidents that has ruled in Nigeria for me is Good luck Ebele Jonathan, and it is not because of his many political achievements or long long grammar, nah.... It is mainly because of one thing, and that is the way he handled the election that took him out of office.
Okay so , it you were old enough then to have paid attention to the political election during that period, you will understand how intense that that election felt, so election in Nigeria isn't a small matter , like it is alot of big deal, emotions do run high, supporters doing what the do most, supporting,and we know that sometimes things do get violent at some point.
So that particular election when the result didn't favour him , people were already waiting for the war that would come out, after all he was an igbo man and against a Yoruba competitor, but see what stood out for me was the way he conceded peacefully.
He just accepted the result like that, and it was just like that, there was no dragging, no "this election was stolen", etc, he actually congratulated his opponent and that singular act alone carried so much weight, and especially in a country like our Nigeria where power is always often clung to tightly.
And I remember thinking to myself then, "shey this is not wisdom?"
See let's just be sincere here, not every politician would have handed it the way he did, yes we know power is sweet, influence too is a sweet thing, and ontop of that being a president is not always easy, the control that comes with that seat too, so now for someone to actually step down without violent, without putting the country in chaos is like a really big deal
I know that some people argue about his time in office,see whether the man did enough or not, or if he should have done more, whether the country's economy was better or worse, seit like okay, because every leader has his strength and weaknesses and People would still have something to say whether we like it or not. See here, no government is perfect and for me leadership is not only about when things go your way, it is also about how you behave things don't go the way you want.
That particular election showed alot of maturity, and it just showed that sometimes ones peace is more important than pride and this is what alot of leaders fail to realise.
In a country where political violence is like a norms, that decision of his actually did save alot of lives , if I must sayin my opinion, and that there is a truly big deal.
And yes what made it significant was it set an example, it showed that transition of power can happen without any form of bloodshed, it showed what democracy really meant,and that it can work if the leaders choose it
And to me I feel that that one thing alone secured his place in Nigerians political history, whether people loved his presidency or whether they criticised it, the moment can not be ignored.
I respect leaders that think beyond themselves, leaders that understand that the nation is bigger than their own personal ambition and that is why Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is that president that stands out for me
And sometimes being memorable isn't always about loud impact's, it's about making wise decision when it is needed, the decision may have lokked simple in the surface but it varies alot of dept, and it proved that when he stepped down , it didn't make him weak whatsoever.
So ..... Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will always remain memorable to me, not because he was perfect or something, but because he choose to be peaceful.
And in leadership, that kind of choice is powerful.
