By Donu Kogbara
LAST week, I went to a funeral in Yenagoa – my first visit to the state capital of Bayelsa for ages. And I spotted a huge poster that really moved me. It had a full-length photograph of President Jonathan on it. And he was striding forward purposefully and smiling broadly like someone who feels on top of the world.

And I thought about the apprehensive little shoe-less boy from an unknown village that he had once been and about his long and unplanned journey to the highest office in the land and about how great it is that he has triumphed over adversity and that we finally have a Head of State from an oil-producing area.

And I’ve often been angry with him in recent months because it is obvious that he isn’t handling various challenges well enough, but I instinctively raised my arm in a proud sisterly salute and said out loud: “Keep walking and smiling, Mr P!”