A call has been made for a deliberate appreciation and celebration of the achievements of African leaders while alive to inspire hope among the new generation of young leaders in the continent.
A member of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Kuru Jos and Director General of Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Comrade Issa Aremu made the call in Ilorin on Friday.
He spoke at the 2025 Nelson Mandela International Day (NMID) as part of the Institute’s citizenship engagement on the imperatives of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Aremu observed that it was time for a “changed narrative” of Africa from the “unhelpful exaggerated failings” of leaders to conscious recognition of the landmark enduring legacies when Africa’s leaders are alive. The Director General commended the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for declaring 18 July every year as Nelson Mandela International Day since 2010, inspiring people around the world to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s legacy by giving back to their communities for 67 minutes – one minute for each year he spent fighting for justice.
Nelson Mandela was the first democratically elected president of South Africa to be elected in a fully representative multi-racial democratic election. He was the country’s first black head of state, having spent 27 years in prison fighting against apartheid, a century-long crime against humanity.
Comrade Aremu observed that Africa should follow in the trail of the United Nations and set aside days to celebrate the impact of accomplished notable African leaders in the task of nation-building in the face of daunting challenges. Aremu hailed the Statesmanship of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the unprecedented, deserved posthumous celebration of the accomplishments of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, which he said were hitherto underappreciated while alive.
According to the Director General, the late President Buhari symbolised selflessness, sacrifices and incorruptibility in public service like Nelson Mandela. He agreed with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that “ through the most turbulent times, President Buhari led “ with quiet strength, profound integrity, and an unshakable belief in Nigeria’s potential, citing he navigated the storms of economic recessions and disruptions caused by Covid: 19 pandemic. “Contrary to the cliche and dogma that the problem of Nigeria is leadership, the problem is indeed non-appreciation of the visible achievements of the leaders while alive”, Aremu observed.
On the theme of this year’s Mandela Day: An end to poverty and inequality, Aremu described the establishment of Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) by President Tinubu which caters for tuition fees and monthly upkeep allowances for successful applicants in public higher educational institutions in Nigeria, repayable after their National Youth Service Corp (NYSC), as a game changer that opens the doors of higher education to the children of the poor. Quoting Nelson Mandela, Aremu observed that “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”