Former President Goodluck Jonathan cut his cake on Saturday on a private jet in celebration of his 64th birthday.
His wife Patience Jonathan and a few others were with him on the aircraft. Mrs Jonathan led in the toast for her husband.
On landing at a location which could not be immediately confirmed, the ex-President was welcomed in style and presented flowers.
Jonathan’s party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), sent him a heartfelt message, saying Nigerians are proud of him.
The party, in a statement by its national publicity secretary Kola Ologbondiyan, described Jonathan as an exceptionally patriotic leader and national icon.
It added that Jonathan’s achievements and personal sacrifices towards the unity and stability of the nation remained indelible in the history of Nigeria.
The party said that over the years, Jonathan had continued to distinguish himself as a humble, forthright, selfless and excellent administrator, who puts the interest of the people above every other consideration.
It stated that Jonathan demonstrated this as a deputy governor, governor, vice president, president, African Union (AU) envoy and chairman, International Summit Council for Peace in Africa (ISCP-Africa).
It said, “Dr Jonathan’s efforts in entrenching democratic tenets of good governance, equity, fairness, justice, rule of law, credible elections, tolerance, mutual respect as well as accountability in governance, stabilised and strengthened the bond of unity among Nigerians during his tenure in office.”
The party added that Jonathan’s landmark achievements including legacy projects and programmes brought unprecedented massive development and empowerment of citizens in all critical sectors, in line with the manifesto of the PDP.
These, according to the party, led Nigeria’s economy being ranked as one of the fastest growing in the world under the PDP’s watch.
It added that “Dr Jonathan’s personal sacrifices in ensuring the unity and stability of our nation, particularly after the 2015 generation election, stand him out at a statesman who put the wellbeing of the nation above personal ambitions.”
The party said that even outside of office, it was proud of the role the former President was playing in ensuring peace, unity, stability, credible elections and good governance in other parts of the world.
