Nigerian politicians lack Mandela’s qualities –Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan at the memorial service in honour of late South African President, Dr. Nelson Mandela,  yesterday said Nigerian politicians clearly lack the qualities that distinguished the late anti-apartheid hero with their quick call for disintegration and provocative remarks.

He said Nigerian politicians with their provocative and unwarranted utterances on national issues were not great men like Mandela but “tiny men.”

The service, which held at the Aso Rock Villa Chapel to round off the three-day mourning period declared by the Federal Government, had dignitaries including the Senate President, David Mark, Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha and the South African Ambassador to Nigeria, Lulu Mnguni among other dignitaries.

President Jonathan said going through the many comments attributed to politicians in the media in recent times, he had since concluded that it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for Nigerian politicians to be truly great.

He said statements of intimidation, threats and hate from Nigerian politicians were not attributes of great men as symbolised by Mandela.

The President regretted that the unwarranted statements of politicians were not limited to a particular generation alone, as those who were older than him, his contemporaries and the younger generation were victims.

He described the former South African leader as a rare character, who all politicians must learn from and do more to better the lots of their country.

According to him: “Mandela is a rare character that those of us who are politicians need to learn from, so that we will imbibe some of his traits and do better for our country.

“If you listen to those of us who are politicians in Nigeria from all political parties -from PDP, to now APC but beginning as AD and ACN, to ACP and others- the way we talk: some talk as if Nigeria is their personal bedroom that they have control over.

“Read the newspapers, listen to the radio and television or go to the social media and see how politicians talk. Some of us even think we are little gods. We intimidate, we threaten, we show hate in our communication.

“These are definitely not the virtues of great men. They are shockingly the voices of tiny men.

“Sometimes when I listen to politicians, the ones older than me, my contemporaries and even the younger ones, I come to the painful conclusion that it is probably easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a politician to be truly great.”

The President stressed that Mandela had done well to prove that one can be a politician and still be truly great because he placed the interest of his people above his own interest.

He said the deceased would always be remembered and honoured by mankind as one of its “greatest liberators, a wise, courageous and compassionate leader, an icon of true democracy, a selfless servant who truly placed state interest above self.”

Jonathan added that great names do not necessarily mean that the bearers of those names are great.

He based his argument on the fact that there were many great names among the political circle, who were dictators and ran a repressive and oppressive government.

He said: “Definitely, Nelson Mandela was a great man by all standards but greatness itself can be interpreted in many ways. Some people make big names, particularly in the political circle but could that be greatness?

“The former President of France noted that nothing great would ever be achieved without great men and men are great only if they are determined to be so. Will some people determine to be great while some determine not to be great?

“Of course, there is a popular saying that some people are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness bestowed on them.

“But I always look at the word greatness with some kind of skepticism, because making a great name is not just enough because you could see that especially in the political circle, we have so many great names that are dictators, that ran a very repressive and oppressive government that sent a lot of people to depression.

“Some people become extremely notorious but they have made big names. So, to be truly great is key. Nelson Mandela is one rare person. He became a President in 1994 at the age of about 76. By the time he ended his first tenure in 1999, in South Africa, it is a five-year double tenure of maximum  10 years, by 1999 he was 81 years old.

“People pressured him that he should continue, he would have ended up maybe at 86. But on his own, he said there were younger people, that he had done his best by bringing freedom to South Africa, let a younger person takeover.

“If you compare Nelson Mandela and some leaders across our continent, very few people even at age 81 will feel they are too old to continue.”

The President said Mandela, whom he referred to as a great son of Africa, was considered great because he had the spirit of forgiveness and succeeded in uniting his people.

He said although he was neither the originator of the struggle in South Africa nor was he the only person jailed, he was one person that endured his pains with dignity and made sacrifices to show clearly that he stood for the people and not himself.

Jonathan said when the former South African leader took over, he could have behaved like “some elders we know in our continent who would have put on the battle glove, ready for vengeance.”

That, he said, would have destroyed the economy of South Africa and probably the country could not have attained the position of the largest economy in Africa.

He observed that Mandela grew beyond the political map of South Africa and the borders of his country could not contain him because of his rare attributes.

Jonathan said his administration decided to devote much time to mourn and pray for Mandela, because Nigeria played a key role in the anti-apartheid struggle led by Mandela.

He said it was proper for the country to mourn and celebrate with South Africa in order to remind all that anything that affects any African affects Nigerians.

“We saw their pain as our pain, we saw their struggle as our own struggle. And when apartheid collapsed, we saw their victory as our own victory,” he said.

Jonathan urged anybody who wanted to make changes not to expect praises at the beginning but jeers, adding that while such a person would be called all kinds of names in the beginning, it was the end of the matter that was more important.

President of the Senate, David Mark, in his tribute said Mandela lived and died for Africa and not South Africa alone.

He observed that the genuineness, fairness and forthrightness in which Mandela led attracted huge followers to him.

He said his struggle, which included that of economic emancipation for the continent was still on.

“He fought a good fight. He loved South Africa. Mandela’s story is not the one that can be narrated in a short period like this. I believe that from Tuesday, the Senate and the House of Representatives will be having tribute sessions for him and that will give us the opportunity of paying tributes to the great leader,” he said.

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Bishop Matthew Kukah, said now that Mandela is dead, the leadership of Africa rests squarely on Nigeria.

He said while it was right to celebrate Mandela, all stakeholders must remember that he won’t have been what he was if not for the doggedness of the black people.

He said this was a good moment  for Africa, adding that the future was for Africans to build.

He said: “We are celebrating Mandela and we have a right to do so, but President Mandela would never have been what he had become today were it not for the dogged struggle and commitment of black African people.

“It is very interesting that around 1990, Ronald Regean, Margaret Thatcher, everybody referred to Mandela as a terrorist and a communist but shortly after Mandela came out of prison, those who called him terrorist and those who called him communist suddenly changed their jerseys in the name of business.

“And the perpetrators  of this injustice had become the reapers of freedom of Africa, so, I think that without making tacit castigation on anybody but as I said, our history is our history.

“This is a wonderful moment for Africa, but we must remember that not every black South African who suffered from apartheid, some who died not everybody became a president. Of course, it would have been impossible for everybody to become a president.

“But there ought to be and there must be a role for everybody, this continent belongs to all of us. I want to thank God for Nigeria, what Nigeria did and what it is yet to do. We must not forget the fact that now that Mandela is dead, the leadership of the African continent rests squarely on the shoulders of Nigeria.

“Don’t think that it is all about Goodluck Jonathan, it is about all black people, it is about when we  think about our black history, it is about when we think about our black culture, it is about when we want to celebrate about who we are.”

Anglican Primate, Most Revd. Nicholas Okoh, in his remarks described Mandela’s story from whichever perspective it was being told as legendary.

He said he could as well have become a unanimous President of the United States of Africa, saying he was a gift from God to South Africa and the world.

He said the deceased took the characteristics of the biblical Moses, who led his people from slavery to freedom, describing his as an inspiration to many Africans.

“Mandela was a great leader who epitomised what Christian leadership should be,” he said.

He prayed that God gives the continent more people like Mandela who place no emphasis on worldliness.

South African High Commissioner in Nigeria, Mr. Lulu Mnguni, said the huge support Mandela got while in prison convinced him that there was life outside the prison.

He described him as an icon and a symbol of hope especially for the oppressed.

While thanking Jonathan and the Nigerian government for honouring Mandela, he noted that the country’s supports for South Africa were from the cradle.

He said despite the challenges in Nigeria, the country had not taken its eyes away from South Africa.

Musician, Onyeka Onwenu, in her tribute said Mandela fulfilled the purpose of his birth and died empty.

She said all living beings, when done, would die empty one day.

The Presiding Pastor, Salvation Ministry, Bishop David Ibiyeomie, in his sermon entitled “Attitude of Gratitude” observed that Mandela, unlike contemporary politicians, thought of next generation and not next election.

He advocated a change in attitude by all Nigerians, saying “the summary of everyone is attitude. Whatever we are seeing about Nigeria and ourself is our attitude.”

The First Lady, Patience Jonathan, read the first lesson of the service from Psalm 100: 1-5, while Emeka Ihedioha read the second lesson from Luke 17:11-19.

*not talking; just passing by and shaking my head*