Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo has condoled with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Ado and the people of Ghana over the death of the former leader and President of the country, Jerry John Rawlings.
In a condolence letter to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Ado, a copy of which was made available to newsmen through his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo described Rawlings as “a quintessential patriot and courageous leader,” saying “he will be remembered for his critical role in the evolvement of modern democratic Ghana.”
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According to Obasanjo, he found in Rawlings, “a reliable friend, ally and confidant.”
He noted that Rawlings was passionate about peace, security and leadership issues in Africa.
Rawlings passed on, on Thursday from complications related to COVID-19. He was aged 73.
According to Obasanjo, “President Rawlings will be missed for his exemplary leadership across Africa but particularly for his contribution to nation-building in the Republic of Ghana where he served, first as the Military Head of State of the country from 1981 to 1992 and later as a democratically-elected President from 1992-2000.
“Like many of his contemporaries too, former President Rawlings provided the much-needed leadership and direction which impacted positively on the social stability and democratic progress recorded thus far in Ghana. A quintessential patriot and courageous leader, he will be remembered for his critical role in the evolvement of modern democratic Ghana.
“As you know, I worked very closely with our departed brother within the remaining two years of his completing his second term in office, i.e.1999-2000, and during which time I had become a democratically-elected President of Nigeria. I found in him a reliable friend, ally, and confidant. We worked together under the auspices of AU with constructive contributions at the various fora in our joint efforts at charting a new future for Africa particularly in tackling the scourge of malaria in our continent using the platform of the African Summit on Roll Back Malaria where his participation was quite active and the quality of his contributions enriched our deliberations and pointed the way forward in dealing with the disease. He was passionate about peace, security, and leadership issues in Africa.
“It must also be on record that President Rawlings played a key role in furthering the actualization of the objectives of the Africa Leadership Forum, ALF, a non-governmental organization which I founded in 1988 to develop leadership capacities in Africa in order to increase the productivity of major actors in government, parliament, business, and civil society.
Obasanjo noted that the late Ghanaian President “supported and accommodated the organisation and its staff during the period of the relocation of the organisation’s base to Ghana because Abacha wanted to have them destroyed just immediately after he got me arrested and imprisoned on a trumped-up charge of coup plotting in 1995.
“No doubt, his generous assistance to ALF and its staff makes me forever indebted to him. I can proudly say he was a true friend and brother. His works, values, and principles have had and will continue to have a great influence and impact in Africa and beyond.
“I join the Government and the good people of Ghana as well as millions of others around the world in mourning a man, who dedicated his life to the growth and development of Ghana, his country, in particular, and Africa as a whole.
“While earnestly praying for the repose of the soul of President Rawlings, I add that God Almighty should give his family, your Government and people of Ghana the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss of this committed nationalist,” Obasanjo stated.
