Real Reason Dame Patience Jonathan Avoids

HighLife

Social Life … Now on Very Low Profile

Say what you will about Dame Patience Jonathan, she has made her mark in history as the Nigerian First Lady who had many Nigerians sympathising with her over the ruthlessness of politics. She is not perfect, which is the same verdict for every one of us, but her public life highlighted her flaws and even got her in trouble with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). At the end of the day, the woman decided to stay away from social life, which is a smart decision by every reckoning.

Famous and wealthy people are to social parasites what honey is to bees. The only difference is that hardly any social parasite ever helped someone climb to the peak of fame and wealth. But this is the life that Patience has come to know, even when she was Nigeria’s First Lady when her husband Goodluck Jonathan was President. She had as many friends as the fish in the sea, only to lose every one of them when they fell out of favour with Nigerians and calamity struck in the form of the anti-graft agency’s interest in her business affairs.

Although Patience has had many things that stood against her, none of these things has ruined her reputation as much as her case with the EFCC. The agency had frozen the bank accounts of some individuals accused of diverting funds, only for Patience to declare that the money in those accounts was hers. That case resulted in the agency freezing an account bearing her name, and her counter-suing the agency. But she did not succeed and eventually tripped down the rabbit hole into obscurity.

Throughout that period, none of her erstwhile friends was at her side. Instead, they all distanced themselves from her, forgetting the days at Aso Rock where she entertained them and obliged their requests.

Alas, this is life. Patience has learned from her mistakes and is content to live under the radar, keeping as few friends as possible, and being her happy, ordinary self.