• Credits Dokpesi’s Role During His Darkest Hour
• Urges Reflection on Freedom of Speech
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has reflected on the emotional toll he experienced as the first Nigerian incumbent president to lose a re-election bid, describing it as the most challenging period in his political career.
The former president, who contested the 2015 general election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was defeated by then-candidate Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Jonathan received 12,853,162 votes, while Buhari won with 15,424,921 votes. Speaking at the inaugural Raymond Dokpesi Annual Diamond Lecture in Abuja, organized by Daar Communications and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Jonathan shared the emotional struggles he endured following his defeat, saying it felt as though “the whole world was against [him].”
Reflecting on his journey, a calm and reflective Jonathan shared, “It is not easy to lose an election as a president. You will think the whole world is against you.” He recounted how Dr. Raymond Dokpesi, the late Chairman of Daar Communications, played a comforting, fatherly role, providing much-needed support during that difficult time. “Dokpesi invited me before I handed over. I remember what he said to me when I lost the election. There were so many senior Nigerians (elder statesmen) who spoke. After I listened to all the conversations, he congratulated me and encouraged me to look beyond the election.”
Jonathan expressed that this interaction with Dokpesi was not only uplifting at the time but had a lasting impact on his personal and spiritual life as a private citizen. He added, “This is how I commemorated that session. That communication gave me hope and helped me, not necessarily for the transition hour ahead of me, but also in my spiritual life as a private citizen. If you read my book, ‘My Transition Hours,’ I explained it more elaborately.”
Tributes and Reflections on Freedom of Speech
During the event, Minister of Information Idris Mohammed paid homage to the late Dokpesi, urging Nigerians to value the freedom of speech enjoyed today. Mohammed said, “Our respect for freedom of speech is sacrosanct even as we continue to urge responsibility in the exercise of this freedom. Nigerians are free to speak about this dear country of ours.”
He continued by stressing the importance of balancing criticism with acknowledgment of the nation’s progress: “We will be making a grievous error individually and collectively if we choose to focus only on what is not working and not balance it with equal attention to the things we are getting right.”
The event also honored Dokpesi’s legacy. DAAR Communications Group Managing Director, Tony Akiotu, shared that Dokpesi had fallen ill shortly before passing on May 29, 2023, at the age of 71. Akiotu confirmed that Dokpesi died after suffering a fall on his treadmill while exercising.
The event was attended by family, friends, and colleagues, all gathered to remember the impact and legacy of Dokpesi’s work in the media industry.
