Patience Faka Jonathan, born 25 October 1957 is a Nigerian civil servant who served as the First Lady of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015 and the Second Lady of Nigeria from 2007 to 2010. She is the wife of former President and Vice President of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. Patience Jonathan also served as a Permanent Secretary in Bayelsa State.

Patience Jonathan was born in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. She earned her school certificate in 1976 and passed the West African School Certificate Examination (WASCE) in 1980. In 1989, she obtained the National Certificate of Education (NCE) in Mathematics and Biology from the Rivers State College of Arts and Science, Port Harcourt. She proceeded to the University of Port Harcourt, where she earned a B.Ed. in Biology and Psychology. She also received an honorary doctorate from the same university.

Patience began her career as a teacher before transitioning to the banking sector, where she served as the marketing manager of Imiete Community Bank and later established the Akpo Community Bank in Port Harcourt. She returned briefly to teaching before joining the Bayelsa State Ministry of Education, where she served until her husband became the deputy governor of the state in 1999. On 12 July 2012, she was appointed as Permanent Secretary in Bayelsa State by Governor Henry Seriake Dickson, a move that sparked controversy due to her long absence from the civil service.

Patience Jonathan has been recognized both locally and internationally for her philanthropic work, particularly in the areas of women's empowerment and healthcare. She founded the A-Aruere Reachout Foundation (AARF) to improve the status and earning capacity of Nigerian women and youths, and to support children with heart-related problems. In 2012, she was hospitalized in Germany following a severe bout of food poisoning, which led to significant media attention and criticism over her use of foreign healthcare services.

Throughout her tenure as First Lady, she was a vocal figure, involved in several initiatives and controversies, including the crisis over the abduction of over 230 schoolgirls by Boko Haram in Chibok, Nigeria. She and her husband have two children, Arewera Adolphus Jonathan and Aruabi Jonathan.

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