Former UN Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, passed on Saturday morning. From across the globe tributes have poured in to testify that indeed a good man has gone to rest.
The day, Saturday, August 18, 2018, dawned and the world woke up to the rude shock of the death of former United Nations Secretary-General Mr. Kofi Annan. He was said to have transited after a brief illness.
Death, of course, comes to every man at its own time, yet sometimes, humanity is taken by surprise when it comes and indeed the death of Mr. Annan came as a surprise to all. Not many knew that he was sick and certainly, none expected to hear of his passing.
But, he has gone. All he has to speak for him now are his works, good or bad. Michelangelo, a long time ago said; “Death and love are the wings that bear a good man to heaven.” From the outpouring of loving words on his death, one can say then, that Mr. Annan is heaven bound, if he is not already there.
He touched lives and impacted humanity positively. He stood and spoke for the poor and marginalised. He worked for a world of equal opportunities and particularly a better Africa, his father land.
Indeed, in word and action, Mr. Annan showed his love for humanity. He was not a perfect man, perfection is obtained on the other side of the divide where he now is, but he represented the best of humanity.
This is evidenced by some of his words on marble. On education, Mr. Annan said: “Education is a human right with immense power to transform. On its foundation rest the cornerstones of freedom, democracy and sustainable human development.”
In his opinion, gender equality, “is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenges of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance.”
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On living, he had this to say; “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 get there.”
Marcus Aurelius said; “Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.” Kofi Annan was a good man who believed and fought for the rights of every human person. This is attested to by his comments on how the UN should function. He said; “In the 21st century, I believe the mission of the United Nations will be defined by a new, more profound awareness of the sanctity and dignity of every human life, regardless of race or religion.”
Kofi Annan was also concerned about the future of the planet and advocated for concerted efforts to make it a better place for all to live. On the environment he said; “If we can come up with innovations and train young people to take up new jobs, and if we can switch to clean energy, I think we have the capacity to build this world not dependent on fossil-fuel. I think it will happen, and it won’t destroy economy.” He also said: “We need to think of the future and the planet we are going to leave to our children and their children.”
At the time Mr. Annan assumed office as UN Secretary-General in 1997, the world body was fractured on the verge of disintegration but he managed to revitalise it.
Mr. Annan restructured the UN Secretariat, laid the foundation for the Millennium Development Goals and brought a number of other reforms to the world body. He condemned the US invasion of Iraq and strongly opposed it.
As the first UN Secretary-General to rise through the ranks, having joined the body in 1962, Mr. Annan was diplomacy personified. His mien was always calm, gentlemanly and unruffled and so he easily commanded respect.
For his contributions in the UN, in 2001, the 100th year of the body, the Nobel Committee decided to share the Peace Prize between Mr. Annan and the UN and so he was awarded the Peace Prize for revitalising the UN and for having given priority to human rights. The Committee also recognised his commitment to the efforts at containing the spread of HIV in Africa as well as his opposition to international terrorism.
Shortly after his death, world leaders took to Twitter to pay their respects and they did that in glowing words.
Jan Eliasson, Swedish Diplomat and former Deputy Secretary-General UN (2012-2016), said of him; “Kofi Annan was a great champion of peace, development, human rights and a formidable leader of the @UN. With serene calm and determination, he consistently stood up for the value and necessity of international cooperation. The best tribute we can give Kofi Annan is to do the same.”
British Prime Minister, Mrs. Theresa May, tweeted; “Sad to hear of the death of Kofi Annan. A great leader and reformer of the UN, he made a huge contribution to making the world he has left a better place than the one he was born into. My thoughts and condolences are with his family.”
Zeid ra’ad Al Hussein, High Commissioner of the Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said he was “grief -stricken over the death of Kofi Annan. Kofi was the epitome of human decency and grace. In a world now filled with leaders who are anything but that, the world’s loss becomes even more painful. He was a friend to thousands and a leader to millions.”
New Zealand Prime Minister, Ms. Jacinda Arden, in her own tribute said, “ the world has lost a great humanitarian, leader, and self proclaimed “stubborn optimist.” Rest in peace, Kofi Annan.”
Patrick Gaspard, former US Ambassador to South Africa and President Open Society Foundation in his tweet described Mr. Annan as, “the gold standard for international leadership – on everything from human rights to nonproliferation, conflict mediation to development, humanitarian assistance to peacekeeping – he injected new energy into the UN at a critical juncture. This is a profound loss.”
For Nigeria’s Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, “Kofi Annan was a ‘purposeful optimist’ who spoke for the voiceless, a diplomat who worked for peace in a tumultuous world, and a leader who dedicated his life to advocating for the liberty and freedom of all mankind. We shall miss him.”
Nigeria’s former Finance Minister, Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, tweeted that Kofi Annan’s death was; “A shock and great loss! Kofi Annan Africa’s foremost son and international diplomat, our tall Iroko tree has died. His many contributions to Humanitarian, Development and Governance issues will not be forgotten.”
As the tributes continue to pour in, humanity is comforted that Mr. Annan left his foot prints on the sands of time. As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, “When a great man dies, for years the light he leaves behind him, lies on the paths of men.” For sure, the light lit by Mr. Kofi Atta Annan will burn and blaze for a long time guiding and directing the paths of many across the globe.
Mr. Annan made Africa proud. He made the black man proud. In spite of his status, he was not given to rabble rousing. His words calmed frayed nerves, gave hope to the hopeless and strengthened the week.
Africa, nay, humanity has lost one of its best. RIP, Mr. Kofi Annan. Sleep on, you’ve earned your rest.
