PhD Feat: Former First Lady Patience Jonathan Testifies at Pastor Jerry Eze’s Church

Former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, shared a deeply personal testimony at Streams of Joy International Church in Abuja on Sunday, recounting her challenging academic journey while pursuing a PhD. Speaking during a service led by Pastor Jerry Eze, Dame Patience expressed heartfelt gratitude to God and credited divine encouragement for seeing her through the demanding years of study.

The former First Lady reflected on her educational path with emotion, recalling how doubts clouded her decision to pursue a doctorate after completing her tenure in office. “I had finished my career, I had finished as First Lady. What am I going to do with PhD now?” she said, highlighting her initial reluctance.

Despite the uncertainty, she said she felt a strong divine nudge to continue. “God told me, ‘Go there and try. If these children can make it, why can’t you make it?’ I said, ‘I am mama ooo,’” she recounted. What was meant to be a three-year journey felt like 40, she said, describing long, demanding trips from Abuja to Port Harcourt where she attended classes and sat with much younger students.

Undeterred by the age gap, Dame Patience described how she immersed herself in the learning process. “I was not ashamed oo. The teacher would be teaching, I would raise my hand to ask questions. The younger ones can understand once, but I had to ask questions three times before I could understand,” she shared, drawing laughter and applause from the congregation.

She used the moment to inspire others, saying, “If Patience can make it, you too can make it. There is no age limit in education. You are 100 years, you can make it. You are 10 years, you can make it. Just be determined.”

Dame Patience also spoke about her transition from the Anglican Church to Pastor Jerry Eze’s congregation, a shift she said was encouraged by her children. “I was born Anglican and married into an Anglican family, but my children convinced me to start attending Pastor Jerry Eze’s church. Any day you don’t see me in church on Sunday, just know that I am not in town.”

She concluded her testimony with a message of appreciation to Pastor Eze, known for his popular phrase “What God Cannot Do Does Not Exist.” “El Roi, I thank you. You are great, Papa. I thank you for your morning prayers,” she said.