Ex-President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has advised politicians to embrace forgiveness to foster national unity and cohesion.
Jonathan made the comment on Wednesday evening at a requiem mass in Abuja for the late Chief Audu Ogbeh, elder statesman, politician and farmer.
He described Ogbeh as a humble and forgiving man who never held on to resentment.
Jonathan said: “Chief Ogbeh was a man who did not seek revenge. He believed the past should be left behind and that we must keep moving forward.
“In that sense, he was just like me. If you hurt me today, I will forgive you. I don’t carry grudges against people. I believe the past is past — and I move on.”
Jonathan recalled that his friendship with Ogbeh began when he was deputy governor.
“I didn’t know Chief Ogbeh until I became a deputy governor when he was serving as national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“At that time, deputy governors were often seen as spare tyres, but he treated me as a close friend. Whenever I visited Abuja, I would go to see him, and we always had good conversations. He was such a kind and generous person,” he stated.
Jonathan said their relationship remained cordial even after he became president.
“Whenever he wanted to see me, he would come, and sometimes we would spend up to an hour discussing national issues,” he said.
He urged Nigerian politicians to emulate Ogbeh’s humility, spirit of forgiveness, and ability to unify people across different segments of society.