News
Jonathan Leaves For Senegal …Mourns Ethiopian PM, Zenawi
Nigerian President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, is expected to
depart for Dakar, Senegal today on a two-day official visit.
According to a statement, the President will be received at
the Leopold Sedar Senghor International Airport, Dakar by Senegalese President,
Macky Sall.
Both leaders will hold a tete-a-tete at the Presidential
Palace, Dakar, on how to deepen cordial relations and promote trade between the
two key countries in the West African sub-region.
President Jonathan is expected back in Abuja, tomorrow..
Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday joined
other world leaders to mourn the death of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles
Zenawi.
The Special Adviser to President Jonathan on Media and
Publicity, Reuben Abati said the Nigeria President “received with shock and
sadness, the news of the passing away of His Excellency, Prime Minister Meles
Zenawi, of Ethiopia.
“On behalf of himself, the Government and the people of
Nigeria, President Jonathan extends his deepest sympathy and condolence to the
people of Ethiopia, especially members of late Prime Minister Zenawi’s family.”
President Jonathan describes Prime Minister Zenawi’s death
as a major loss for Africa. “He was a great African statesman, who is also a
friend of Nigeria, a nation-builder and a great servant of the Ethiopian
people.”
He further notes that “Prime Minister Zenawi will be
remembered for his vision and integrity,” adding that
“He held strong convictions about establishing a just and
prosperous society for his people, a cause to which he devoted his considerable
energies, and which deservedly earned him respect and honour among a grateful
Ethiopian nation.”
President Jonathan acknowledged the late Prime Minister
Zenawi’s vision for a united and strong Africa, a cause he pursued with
remarkable honesty and passion. Indeed, his role, along with other African
leaders, as the fulcrum of the African renaissance project, has ensured for him
a prominent place in the annals of African history.
“The passing away of Prime Minister Zenawi at this time when
Ethiopia and, indeed, all of Africa, stand to benefit from his wisdom and
experience in building a stable and prosperous continent is a great loss that
will be hard to remedy,” he said.
President Jonathan assures the people of Ethiopia that the
Government and people of Nigeria share in their loss.
The statement said that Mr Jonathan “is hopeful that the
government and the entire Ethiopian nation will be comforted by the enduring
legacy of service that Prime Minister Zenawi left behind.”
United States President Barack Obama has led tributes to
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi with high praise after the strongman’s
more than two decades in power and despite his chequered human rights record.
His death at age 57 leaves a major power gap in the Horn of
Africa. Ethiopia has played a key role in the fortunes of many of its neighbours,
as well as host to the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa.
Obama said Meles deserved ‘recognition for his lifelong
contribution to Ethiopia’s development, particularly his unyielding commitment
to Ethiopia’s poor.’
He recalled his ‘personal admiration for his desire to lift
millions of Ethiopians out of poverty through his drive for food security’
after meeting him at the G-8 Summit in May.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Meles’ would ‘be
remembered for his exceptional leadership and advocacy on African issues within
and outside the continent, as well as for overseeing his country’s economic
growth and development,’ UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said.
The African Union hailed Meles for his promotion of economic
growth, as well as his role as peace-maker between Sudan and South Sudan and
his support for the fight against Somalia’s al-Qaeda-linked Shebab insurgents.
‘The death of Prime Minister Meles has robbed Africa of one
of its greatest sons,’ said AU commission chair Jean Ping’s office in a
statement.
‘He has played an important role in pioneering a new era of
hope and growth in Africa, driven as he was by the vision of Ethiopia and
Africa’s renaissance.’
European Commission chief, Jose Manuel Barroso said Meles
‘demonstrated his strong personal commitment over many years to improving the
lives of not just his own but all African peoples, through his work on African
unity, climate change, development and in promoting peace and stability.’
British Prime Minister, David Cameron hailed Meles ‘as an
inspirational spokesman for Africa on global issues’ who had ‘provided
leadership and vision on Somalia and Sudan’, while French President Francois
Hollande praised his ‘contribution to diplomatic efforts to advance peace in
the Horn of Africa.’
In contrast to the praise from world leaders, rights groups
have criticised Meles’s legacy, accusing his government of using anti-terrorism
legislation to stifle peaceful dissent and freedom of expression.
Nearly 200 opposition members and journalists were jailed
under the disputed legislation in 2011.
‘The government and the next prime minister should take the
opportunity for change represented by the succession of Meles Zenawi to move
towards a greater respect for human rights,’ Claire Beston, Amnesty
International’s Ethiopia researcher, told AFP.
The 2009 anti-terrorism law has seen several opposition
figures and journalists, including two Swedes, jailed for lengthy terms, and
should be overturned, said the New York-based Human Rights Watch.
Meles, a former rebel fighter who came to power in 1991
after toppling the bloody dictatorship of Mengistu Haile Mariam, died in
hospital in Brussels, officials said.
Meanwhile, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that
the death of Ethiopian Prime Minister Menes Zenawi has robbed Africa of a
“committed, forthright, visionary and fearless leader’’.
Our correspondent
reports that Zenawi , 57, died yesterday from a sudden infection while
recovering from an undisclosed aliment at a hospital abroad, according to the
Ethiopian state television.
Obasanjo told newsmen that Zenawi was one of the bright
lights of leadership in present day Africa.
“He has shown his sterner stuff that he is made of in
fighting for his country’s emancipation from the rudderless, despotic military
dictatorship to bringing his country up in development terms as one of the
beacons of Africa.
“I have seen his performance at the African Union (AU), and
it is because of his brilliance that leaders of Africa and I decided to hand
over the AU NEPAD programme to him.
“His death robs Africa of a committed, forthright, visionary
and fearless leader.
“I condole with his family, the people, the government and
his successor,’’ Obasanjo said, adding that his death was a shock to him.
Our correspondent quotes
the Ethiopian television as saying that Zenawi’s body would be returned to
Ethiopia soon, while a committee had been set up to organise his funeral.
The television stated that Hailemariam Desalegn, his deputy,
would act as prime minister.
“Nothing in Ethiopia will change. The government will
continue. Our policies and institutions will continue. Nothing will change in
Ethiopia. Desalegn will be confirmed by parliament.”
