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Moghalu, Obasanjo, Tinubu pay tribute to Koffi Annan

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Late Kofi Annan

A former official of the United Nations (UN), Prof. Kingsley Moghalu on Saturday described the late Kofi Annan as a man who lived a great life.

Moghalu, a presidential aspirant of the Young Progressive Party (YPP) and former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) made this declaration in his tribute to Annan.

Annan, the 7th UN Secretary General between 1996 and 2007, died on Saturday at the age of 80.

The late Ghanaian diplomat, was a recipient of the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize and led the UN through some of its biggest reforms in order to build a stronger, more capable organization.

Moghalu said: “In April I started my tribute to Kofi Annan on his 80th birthday with this quote: “To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to go there.

“These are the powerful words from Mr Annan himself; words that have made an indelible mark on both my professional and personal lives.

“On a personal note, I have long admired his adventurous spirit, one that he encouraged in me and others, to seek divergent career paths that ultimately would make for a better employee, and a better organization.

“He himself had taken a circuitous route to his role as leader of the world’s most important body, and he left a strong mark. Long after Mr Annan left, he was spoken of fondly by staff who remembered not just his work, but his calm, intellectual personality that was a much-needed influence in the organization.

“In my tribute, I wrote that his was a “life of consequence”, not merely because he, like, Nelson Mandela, had achieved the feat of projecting a positive role model for black African excellence like few others had, but because he also sought to change the world—and did.

“Like millions of people around the globe, I will miss this great man. My sympathies and condolences to his family, his wife Nane Annan, his children, and to the people of Ghana who have lost a well-respected elder statesman,” Moghalu stated.

The national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, says late Kofi Annan will be remembered for his remarkable  role in ensuring stability of democratic governments in Africa.

Annan, former United Nations Secretary-General, died on Saturday aged 80.

The Kofi Annan Foundation said the former UN boss, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 for humanitarian work, died in Switzerland, after a brief illness.

Tinubu, in a statement issued by his Media Officer, Mr Tunde Rahman, llin Lagos, said the late Annan initiated interventions in conflict resolution around the world, aimed at achieving world peace.

 

According to him,  Annan was Africa’s gift to the world and a wonderful servant to the international community.

 

”The death of former Secretary-General of UN, Mr Kofi Annan, in Bern, Switzerland today, August 18, 2018, is a loss to Africa and the entire world because of all that he represented.

 

”In his lifetime, Kofi Annan distinguished himself as an international statesman, global icon, finest diplomat and tireless champion of human rights for all.

”His time at the UN was also remarkable for his role in ensuring stability of democratic governments in Africa and intervention in conflict resolution around the world aimed at achieving world peace.

”His diplomatic achievements, both before or after becoming the UN Secretary-General, are legion, ” he said.

Tinubu said late Annan spearheaded several initiatives on Africa, including his chairmanship of the Africa Progress Panel and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).

”Specifically, he will be remembered for his important contributions to the fight against HIV/AIDS epidemic, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

”Also, he will be remembered for his commitment to defending vulnerable populations the world over, demonstrated by his key role in the development of the UN’s epoch-making Responsibility to Protect doctrine.

”He provided leadership in developing the Millennium Development Goals, which made poverty eradication an achievable global imperative.

”He lived true to his reputation and recognition as Noble Peace Prize Laureate because he was an advocate of world peace and development throughout, ” he said.

Tinubu said Annan would be missed by all.

”He was also a loving husband and a doting father. He will be sorely missed, not only by his close family and friends, but by all Africans at home and in the Diaspora.

”On this day of his passing, I pay tribute to Kofi Annan, a truly modern statesman and an exemplar for all Africans who adhere to the principles of democracy, rule of law and justice for all.

”May his soul rest in perfect peace,” Tinubu said.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo described late Kofi Annan as a global statesman, who dedicated his life to equity, justice, stability, security, human rights and other virtues that promote world peace.

Annan, who was a former Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), died on Saturday at the age of 80 years in a Swiss hospital.

Obasanjo in a statement issued in Abeokuta in reaction to the death of Annan, said he received the news with sadness and shock.

He noted that Annan’s lifestyle and qualities were responsible for his appointment as the UN Secretary General in 1997 as well as the Nobel Peace Price he won in 2001.

“I received the shocking news of the demise of former United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, with deep sadness as the loss of a brother and friend.

“I commiserate with the Annan family, particularly the Late Mr Annan’s widow, Nane Maria and their children Ama, Kojo and Nina.

“I equally commiserate with the government and people of Ghana; the Secretary-General and staff of the United Nations and indeed all lovers of peace and progress across the world, on this great loss,” he said.

He recalled Annan’s contributions to conflict resolution in Syria and Myanmar as UN and Arab League joint Special Envoy in Syria and as Chair of the UN Advisory Commission on Rakhine State.

Obasanjo noted that Annan, in both cases, respectively demonstrated his statesmanship and diplomacy, adding that he was also dedicated, firm and just.

“In this moment of grief, I fondly remember Kofi’s contribution to good governance and sustainable development in Africa, particularly through the Kofi Annan Foundation and the Africa Progress Panel, a group of ten distinguished individuals which advocated policy change for sustainable development in Africa.

“Kofi Chaired the Africa Progress Panel, and I was a member, until 2017 when we took a decision to transfer the activities of the Panel from Geneva, Switzerland, to the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun, Nigeria, under the name of Africa Progress Group,” he said.

The former president called on “all men and women of goodwill” to unite in upholding and sustaining the legacies of Annan.

“This can be done, especially through support for the Kofi Annan Foundation and the Africa Progress Group, which succeeded the Africa Progress Panel, both of which he led very ably in his life time,” he said.

 

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