Celebrating a woman of great substance – Dame (Dr) Mrs Patience Jonathan. by nigeriangazette on Oct 25, 2013 • 6:35 pm 1 2 Comments Patience-Jonathan (1) Today, we celebrate our first lady, Dr.Mrs Patience Jonathan. A champion for the rights and growth of women, she has consistently played roles in women’s empowerment. Born and raised in Port Harcourt, Her Excellency and obtained her post secondary education at the University of Port Harcourt. She obtained the National Certificate of Education (NCE) in Mathematics/Biology from the River State College of Arts and Science in Port Harcourt. Her quest for knowledge and growth later landed her at the University of Port Harcourt where she studied Biology and Psychology. Her path took her from a career in teaching to banking then back to teaching. In 1999, she left her position at the Bayelsa State Ministry of Education when her husband, now Nigerian’s President Goodluck Jonathan, became the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State. Over the years, she has effectively established herself as a women’s advocate. Her outspoken personality and the strength of her convictions strive to ensure that all issues and concerns of women and the girl-child in Nigeria are given priority. Well known for her active participation in her husband’s political campaigns, the First Lady is involved with many charities in Nigeria that work mainly with women and children. She is also the founder of several non-governmental organizations such as the A.Aruera Reachout Foundation, which focuses on educating middle-aged women. In 2010, she launched the Women for Change and Development Initiative (W4CI) to help promote women’s empowerment and gender equality. It is noteworthy to mention that the First lady, Patience Jonathan has been recognized locally and nationally in the country and internationally for her philanthropic work. Recently, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) appointed Dame Patience Jonathan as ITU’s Child Online Protection (COP) Champion. Her Excellency has received wide recognition for her contributions toward advancing the cause of women in Nigeria. With several honorary degrees to her credit, Dame Jonathan received her fourth doctorate from the Hansei University , Seoul – North Korea. At the 2013 Nigerian Women Transformation Awards, Conference and Exhibition tagged NIWTRACE 2013 , Dr. Mrs. Patience Jonathan was presented with a Leadership and Excellence Award by the Gender Equity Support Foundation (GESF) Other notable accolades include “Beyond The Tears” International Humanitarian Award for her role in the global fight against HIV/AIDS and the African Goodwill Ambassador Award, “Wind of Change” Award from the South/South Women’s Organization to mention a few. As she adds another year today, I am wishing our Mother and First lady, Patience Jonathan many more wonderful years ahead to celebrate. - See more at: thenigeriangazette/celebrating-a-woman-of-great-substance-dame-dr-mrs-patience-jonathan/#sthash.DqbdMiu9.3ZhnwIAP.dpuf
Posted on: Sat, 26 Oct 2013 00:26:08 +0000
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