Late Anan
The African Development Ban, ADB, President of the Nigerian Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki and former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar have mourned the passing of Mr. Kofi Annan, a former Secretary General of the United Nations, describing him as diplomat per excellence.
In a press statement by his media office in Abuja, Atiku described Mr. Annan as a quintessential promoter of global peace; a great African, an astounding diplomat and one of the leading lights in the African continent of this century.
Atiku laments that a leading light has passed out of Africa and called on Africans of the present generation to emulate the late Anan’s commitment to the well- being and development of the African continent while serving as Chief Scribe of the United Nation’s Organisation.
“For this reason, Kofi Annan was bestowed with the Noble Prize for Peace, in 2001 by the Alfred Noble Foundation, an award he shared with the UN, which he led, Atiku recalled.
The Waziri Adamawa satd that even after retirement from the services of the UN, Kofi Annan, never indeed retired from playing critical international roles that advanced the well- being of Africa and the world.
According to Atiku, the late UN Chief Scribe set up the Kofi Annan Foundation, which he employed as a platform to keep alive, public discourse on issues that affect Africa and the World as well as lend a hand to promote better global governance and strengthen the capacities of people and countries to achieve a fairer and more peaceful world.
Atiku conveyed his deepest condolences to the Annan family, the Kofi Annan Foundation, the international community, the government and people of Ghana and all Africans on the passing on of this global statesman
| “With Mr. Kofi Annan’s passing, Africa and the entire world has lost its finest diplomat, champion of world peace and development advocate, leaving a void which will be hard to fill,” President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina said.
“Today, the international community is mourning a man of great humility and righteousness; a formidable architect behind critical peace brokering agreements around the world. His leadership on spearheading the Millennium Development Goals, made poverty eradication an achievable global imperative. He touched the lives of everyone he met with his dignity and quiet resolve. We stand with his dear wife, Nane, family and friends at this time and express our heartfelt condolences”, Adesina added. For the African Development Bank, Mr. Kofi Annan held a special place on several of the Bank’s initiatives. He was a staunch advocate of the Bank’s ‘New Deal on Energy for Africa’, a partnership-driven effort which aims to achieve universal access to energy in Africa by 2025. He was appointed as the “Champion” of the New Deal on Energy for Africa. In 2016, Mr Annan co-chaired the Special Panel on Accelerating the Implementation of the African Development Bank’s Ten Year Strategy, launched by President Adesina. He spearheaded several initiatives on Africa, including his chairmanship of the Africa Progress Panel and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). In April 2001, in Abuja, Nigeria, at a summit of African leaders, Mr. Kofi Annan made the first explicit public call for a new funding mechanism, proposing the creation of The Global Fund, to be dedicated to the battle against HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. He made the first contribution to the Global Fund in 2001. |
Saraki has described the demise of a former Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), Koffi Annan, as the end of a golden era in global politics and international relations.
Saraki in a statement signed on his behalf by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuph Olaniyonu, described the late Annan as the quintessential African diplomat on the global plane and a citizen of the world, who deployed his vast capacities to tackle intractable global challenges ranging from hunger, conflict, epidemic and restoration of peace in war-torn countries.
According to Saraki: “Annan was the quintessential African Diplomat who bestrode the world stage with dignity, finesse, admirable restraint and wisdom. He was a diplomat’s diplomat. He dedicated his immense expertise, experience and energies to resolving some of the world’s most pressing problems and conflicts, including most recently, the Rohingya refugee crisis. He was a citizen of the world.
“Annan was an African avatar and God’s messenger of peace to the world. His demise is a huge loss to the international community and to humanity. Africa has indeed lost one of her best. He shall be sorely missed,” Saraki stated.
He commiserated with the wife and children of the deceased, the Government and people of Ghana, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), African Union (AU), the United Nations, international humanitarian organizations and the diplomatic community over the sad and irreparable loss.
