President Jonathan Snubbed At Mandela’s Memorial

Despite leaving Nigeria early for the funeral of late South African
leader, Nelson Mandela, President Goodluck Jonathan has been
snubbed by the South African authorities at the State Memorial
Service of the anti-apartheid leader.
PremiumTimesng reports that an official release of programmes
during the memorial service shows that the Nigerian president was
missing on the list of world leaders billed to give tributes.
The world leaders who will be giving tributes are:
United State President, Barack Obama;
President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil;
Vice-President Li Yuanchao of China;
President Hifikepunye Pohamba of Namibia;
President Pranab Mukherjee of India;
and President Raúl Castro Ruz of Cuba.
Other leaders billed to give tributes are the United Nations Secretary-
General, Ban Ki-Moon; and the African Union Commission Chair,
Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.
Though Mr. Jonathan is not the only head of state that would not
give tribute - there are about 90 heads of state attending the funeral,
the apparent snub handed Mr. Jonathan also appears to rubbish the
enormous effort played by Nigeria to bring an end to apartheid in
South Africa.
This was at a time when Western governments were pussyfooting to
pressure the apartheid government to renounce its policy of
segregation and its brutal abuses against the black majority.
Some Western governments including the U.S. had even designated
the ruling Africa National Congress (ANC) as a terrorist organisation,
and Mandela a terrorist.
This point was also highlighted by the Lagos State Governor,
Babatunde Fashola, on Monday in a chat with journalists.
There are more questions to answer. When you look at the part of
the world where ovation is now the loudest, it was the part of the
world the pain was the most vicious. In a very cruel irony, history
is being revised.
The people, who collaborated with the government that enthroned
apartheid at that time, are the people that are paying the biggest
tributes now. But I ask myself: is this not the time for deep
reflection? I doubt if any African country expended as much time,
as much money and as much commitment as the Nigerian
Government.
I was a teenager then in 1976 when anti-apartheid campaign
really gained resurgence in every home in this country. Nigeria
paid a huge price for what South Africa has become today. I
remember the anti-apartheid campaign was at the core of
Nigerian foreign policy.
Apart from scholarship given to South Africans, I remember
President Yar’Adua met Thabo Mbeki in South Africa and he was
telling me about their relationship, which he said was dated to
when Mbeki used to come to Zaria for student exchange
programme. I remember we did not go for Commonwealth Games
because of South Africa. I remember we took drastic measures
against the foreign collaborators of apartheid regime and
nationalised assets.”