In a heartfelt testimony at Streams of Joy International Church, former First Lady Patience Jonathan disclosed how the relentless pressure from her lecturers nearly made her quit her PhD studies. She recently earned her doctorate in Psychology, Guidance, and Counselling from Ignatius Ajuru University of Education.
Jonathan recounted moments of frustration where lecturers’ repeated assignments and corrections tested her resolve. “At times, my lecturer would get me angry and say, ‘Go and repeat this page.’ Shey this man don’t know that I’m old?” she said, prompting laughter.
Initially, she doubted the need to pursue further education after her tenure as First Lady, questioning, “What am I going to do with a PhD?” But divine inspiration encouraged her to continue, reminding her that if her children could succeed, so could she.
She humbly described attending classes with younger students, often needing to ask questions multiple times to understand lessons. The intense three-year program felt like decades, yet her perseverance prevailed.
Jonathan’s story serves as an inspiration, especially to women and young people, that education has no age limit and determination is key to success.