Nigeria -> The President His Excellency - President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, a former teacher, inspector of education, lecturer, and Environmental Protection and Pollution Control officer, became Nigeria's second university educated Head of Government, the second President of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic and the fourteenth Head of Government in about 40 years, on May 6, 2010. He had been the running mate to Alhaji Umaru Yar'Adua on the PDP presidential ticket in the April 2007 elections and became Vice President after they won the highly controversial presidential election. On May 6, 2010 he became Nigeria's president after the death of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua. From February 9, 2010 until May 6, 2010 he had been Nigeria's Acting President - on January 13, 2010, a Federal High Court in Nigeria handed him the power to run the affairs of the presidency and on February 9, 2010 Nigeria's Senate conferred on him the power to act as President - while Alhaji Umaru Yar'Adua, his predecessor, was receiving medical treatment in a hospital in Saudi Arabia. Goodluck Jonathan, an Ijaw, was born on November 20, 1957 in Otueke in Ogbia Local Government Area, Bayelsa State to a family of canoe makers. He holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Zoology, an M.Sc. in Hydrobiology/Fisheries biology and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Zoology. He worked as an education inspector, lecturer, and environmental-protection officer, until he entered politics in 1998 He started his education at St Stephen’s Primary School, Otueke and completed his primary education at St Michael’s Primary School, Oloibiri in 1969. He then attended Mater Dei High School, Imiringi, finished in 1975 and worked as a Preventive Officer with the Department of Customs and Excise until 1977 when he started his undergraduate studies in the Department of Zoology at the University of Port Harcourt. He graduated in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science degree (Second Class Honours - Upper Division) in Zoology . From 1981 to 1982 he served as a Youth Corper in the manadatory one-year National Youth Service Corp at Iresi, Osun State and after he passed out in 1982, he became a teacher in the Rivers State Civil Service Commission and then moved to the position of Science Inspector of Education in the Ministry of Education. In 1983, he became a lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences at the Rivers State College of Education in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and in 1995 he obtained a Masters degree (M.Sc.) in Hydro-Biology and Fisheries Biology at the University of Port Harcourt. In 1992, he was appointed the Assistant Director, Ecology in the Directorate of Environmental Protection and Pollution Control and while at the Directorate he obtained a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Zoology from the University of Port Harcourt in 1995. In 1998, he started his career as a politician and in 1999, as a member of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), he was elected as deputy governor to Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha in Bayelsa State. In 2005, Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was impeached on corruption charges and Goodluck Jonathan became the governor of Bayelsa state. In 2006, he was selected to run as the vice-presidential candidate on the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential ticket in the 2007 presidential elections. He was Vice-President of Nigeria from May 2007 until February 9, 2010 when the Senate through a resolution, invoked the doctrine of necessity to empower him to serve as Acting President, with all the accompanying powers, due to President Yar'Adua's prolonged absence from Nigeria. President Yar'Adua died on May 5, 2010 and Goodluck Jonathan was sworn in as President Yar'Adua's replacement on May 6, 2010, becoming Nigeria's fourteenth Head of State, as mandated by the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Chapter 6, Section 146, Subsection 1 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria states: “The Vice-President shall hold the office of President if the office of President becomes vacant by reason of death or resignation, impeachment, permanent incapacity or the removal of the President from office for any other reason in accordance with section 143 of this Constitution.” Goodluck Jonathan is married, with two children, to Patience Faka Jonathan and is to serve as President of Nigeria until the next presidential elections which are expected to hold in 2011.