Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has paid tribute to American civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson, describing him as a “servant-leader” who dedicated his life to fighting injustice and promoting equality.
In a statement released by the State House on Tuesday, Mr Tinubu said he joined people across the United States of America and the wider world in mourning Reverend Jackson, who he said had died at the age of 84.
The Nigerian president praised Reverend Jackson’s role in the struggle for racial justice, noting his early activism alongside Martin Luther King Jr.. He said Jackson had worked tirelessly to defend “the dignity of black people, the oppressed, and the voiceless”.
President Tinubu described Reverend Jackson as a global figure who pushed for better social and economic conditions for African Americans and continued the civil rights movement after King’s assassination.
The Nigerian leader said Reverend Jackson’s activism helped shape modern American politics, including paving the way for Barack Obama to become the first Black US president in 2008.
He highlighted Jackson’s own historic presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988, when he sought the Democratic Party nomination, calling them milestones that challenged racial barriers in American politics.
Tinubu also recalled his time as a student in Chicago in the 1970s, where Reverend Jackson was active, saying he witnessed his influence in the fight against discrimination.
President Tinubu said Reverend Jackson was a “great friend of Nigeria and Africa”, noting his opposition to apartheid in South Africa and his support for the release of anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela.
He also highlighted Jackson’s involvement in Nigeria during military rule, including his appointment as a special envoy to Africa by former US President Bill Clinton in the late 1990s.
According to the statement, Reverend Jackson helped promote democracy, civil liberties and stronger ties between African leaders and US lawmakers, including members of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Tinubu described Reverend Jackson as a moral voice whose message resonated globally, even in later years as his health declined.
He said Jackson’s lifelong message urged people to continue striving for justice and to “keep hope alive”.
The Nigerian president concluded by offering prayers for the civil rights leader, describing his life as one devoted to justice, democracy and human progress.
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