In March this year, when President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan did the unthinkable- at least by African standards- and called up his closest opponent, Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress after it became quite obvious that he was trailing the retired general at the nationwide polls, the world took notice.

The votes hadn’t even been tallied yet, there were irregularities with the elections proper that could form the basis of a proper lawsuit and as a result, powerful sections of Jonathan’s party were adamant on him rejecting the results outright.

But Mr Jonathan proved himself a better man and genuinely committed democrat when he shunned all these voices and made perhaps the most defining decision of his political career. When he made the declaration that his political ambition wasn’t worth the life of any single Nigerian, it was no mere political speak. The audio clip of that famous phone call is in public domain and every time I listen to it, my heart bursts with pride that I was alive to witness the decency of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan- both as a president and as a human being.

That’s what made him special. His basic decency. It led him to open up all kinds of spaces that were historically locked in Nigeria – against women, againt youth, against civil society, and then my constituency: the creative industries.

This is an important story to tell.

It wasn’t Goodluck Jonathan that kick started the practice of supporting the local and continental film industry by hosting the Africa Movie Academy Awards- that credit belongs to the late Diepreye Alamieyeseigha whom Jonathan worked closely with as deputy governor. But once Jonathan succeeded Alamieyeseigha as governor, his support for AMAA never wavered and he worked hard to institutionalize Bayelsa state as the de facto home of Africa’s biggest film reward process. For 8 of the last 10 years, Bayelsa has proudly hosted Africa’s entertainment elite, opening up its cultural industry in the process.

This love for the arts and cultural industry followed President Jonathan throughout his interesting political career where he went fortuitously from governor to acting president and elected president. The Jonathan era has been documented as one of the friendliest governments ever in terms of commitment to artistic and cultural development. Previous governments talked a good game about supporting the creative industry but it was Jonathan who walked the talk, going as far as endowing a $200 million intervention fund administered by The Nigerian Export Import Bank (NEXIM) and Bank of Industry and another 3billion Naira ‘Project Nollywood’ package to help turnaround Nigeria’s movie industry.

Because of these timely interventions, film producers were able to spend more on making films that appealed to a wider audience, screenwriters were able to dream more and could afford to be more adventurous with their approach to work, while actors could partake in productions that would potentially put them at par with their colleagues worldwide. More stars were produced and a lot more important jobs were added to the economy.

Nollywood has always been a story of tenacity, independence and grit but Jonathan’s overtures complemented the efforts of these hardworking and industrious folks who have refused to take no for an answer and have succeeded in selling Africa to the rest of the world.

Nollywood was far from the only organised sector to thrive under the watch of Goodluck Jonathan. From agriculture to big business, banking and finance to his unwavering commitment to the power privatisation programme, civil society freedom and electoral reforms, Jonathan’s presidency understood that government works best when it creates an enabling environment and stays largely out of the way, allowing for creative sparks to fly.

His commitment to youth and female empowerment has been second to none. From the establishment of new federal universities to the YouWin programme, President Jonathan has been firmly committed to giving the youth a voice as well as the tools to succeed in an increasingly competitive world.

Since this profile is for the year under review, it cannot be stressed enough that in 2015, Jonathan’s single most important gift to his nation as president was his very last. This man from the creeks of Otuoke who had no shoes as a young boy, but was privileged to enjoy the Nigerian dream at its very best, cast his ambitions and personal limitations aside to ensure that the country was spared needless bloodshed that have characterized electoral processes in the past.

Holding on and staying put could have cast the final straw on a nation that was already cleaved along fault lines of political party, religion and ethnicity. It would have opened the gates for violence and breakdown of law and order. And certainly would have sent the country backwards in terms of developmental milestones already achieved.

Goodluck Jonathan stood up when it mattered most and asserted himself as a leader, peacemaker and statesman of the finest order. By conceding defeat and paving way for an unprecedented transition process that would see a ruling party transfer power to an opposition for the first time in the nation’s history, he averted doomsday while setting a new standard for leadership in a continent famous for sit tight rulers.

For this singular act of sacrifice, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan remains a true democratic hero. The continent is blessed to have such a man.

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Dakolo is a multiple award-winning artist and songwriter