By Kayode Ketefe
Last Thursday, December 5, 2013
witnessed the death of one of the best if not actually the best political icon
Africa has ever produced, Nelson Rolihlahha Mandela. The charismatic, anti-apartheid
revolutionist, lawyer, activist, politician, philosopher, moralist and
philanthropist, was certainly the most respected African that ever lived till
date and arguably the greatest black man of all time.
Born in Mvezo, a small village
in the district of Umtata on July 18, 1918, and belonging to the Xhosa clan,
Mandela early years marked the era when the evils of apartheid were at their
sadistic worst. Subjugation, repression, not to mention exploitation of the
black aborigines, were the norms by the imperial white minority.
Convinced in the ideology that
all men were born equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable
rights, Mandela, as a young man set himself a goal - he would devote the rest
of his life to liberation of his people. It was the struggle for actualisation
of this lofty dream that truncated the “normal” course of his life.
As a young
man, Mandela was ruled by unquenchable hunger for social reforms and rugged
temerity of the likes of late Chief Gani Fawehinmi SAN, who employed law as an
instrument to promote public interests. As an old man, Mandela was suffused by
the vision, knowledge, insight and political sagacity of late Chief Obafemi
Awolowo. What a rare African he was indeed!
The dynamism of his leadership
of the Umkonto we Sizwe, which was an armed wing of the African National
Congress that mainly engaged in guerilla offensive, got him into trouble with
the imperialists.
The then fiercely repressive
apartheid government arrested and convicted him on contrived allegation of
sabotage and other charges. An unfair hearing was held after which he was
sentenced to life imprisonment. For a whopping 27 years that Mandela served in
prison, majority of which he spent on Robben Island, his spirit was unbroken.
Mandela was irrevocably committed to the vision of liberation of his people and
not even the enervating four walls of the prison cell could render the vision
blurred.
After his release from prison
on 11 February 1990, Mandela plunged into politics and the entire people rallied
behind him as he eventually led African National Congress to a predictable
landslide electoral victory that culminated in the country first ever
multi-racial democracy.
Mandela was elected President
in 1994. Rather than engage in any vindictive retaliations of his personal
sufferings or the collective oppression and inhumanity suffered by his people,
he magnanimously engaged in campaign for forgiveness and reconciliation. This
gracious forbearance and humanity endeared him to people all over the globe.
Before he eventually departed from this plane of existence, Mandela was the
recipient of more than 250 awards worldwide including the Nobel Prize for Peace
in 1993.
His birthday has been
recognised as “Mandela Day” by no less an organisation than the United Nations
which has “canonized” the day as a commemorative global day for volunteer
for good causes, thus, his nativity has been entrenched permanently into human
history to serve as inspiration for others to engage in laudable selfless
service into humanity.
Mandela’s life should be a
lesson to political leaders in Africa. He was not a sit-tight politician,
despite his popularity; he voluntarily relinquished power in 1999, having only
ruled for five years. If any man had a somewhat justifiable excuse for
self-perpetuation in office, who else could it be than a man who had spent 27
years of the best part of his life in prison for the cause of the people? But
selfish agenda had no place in Mandela’s ideology; his vision transcended
mundane considerations that inspire most of African leaders.
Mandela was not a thief; he had
nothing in common with the rapacious kleptocrats prowling the political
corridors of Africa. Madiba, as he was affectionately called, had no bank
accounts in Switzerland, no magnificent residences in London, Washington and
Canada – no skyscrapers in major capitals of the world built with stolen money a
la majority of African politicians. He was simple, humble and selfless-
virtues which are wanting in many others.
May Africa keep producing
people like Nelson Mandela, more people like Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr Nnamdi
Azikwe, Kwame Nkumah, Dr Julius Nyerere, Patrice Lumumba, Leopold Senghor,
Thomas Sankara, all these were African prophets, who came with visions for
liberating the dark continent and promoting her development.
May the mother continent stop
having the likes of Idi Amin, Jean Bedel Bokassa, Houphet Boigny, Robert
Mugabe, Samuel Doe, Sani Abacha, Mobutu Sese Seko, Hosni Mubarak and, Muamar
Ghadafi.
They are all examples of bad
leaders ranging from sit-tight dictators to bloodthirsty sadistic psychopaths.
Today, Madiba is no more having
succumbed to debilities of old age, but his life remains an everlasting
paragon of excellence for Africans, nay humanity. Let the current African
leaders take time to reflect on how their governance would measure if held up
to Mandela’s standards.
A final riposte to Nigerian
politicians- stop wearing empty agbada and babaringa all about
with no tangible achievements to show for it in terms of moving the nation
forward; stop neglecting the primary purpose of governance which is the welfare
of the people; stop selfish aggrandisement and corrupt enrichment, stop stupid,
empty vanity, emulate Mandela!
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