IT is significant that a few days before Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari turned 70, he was on November 20th appointed as Co-Chair with Mrs Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State and Ambassador to the United Nations, to lead High-Level Commission on Global Security Justice & Governance.

The commission is to release recommendations in advance of U.N’s 70th anniversary in September 2015. Also, it is to find better mechanisms to prevent and resolve armed conflicts, address the human security impacts of climate change, and prevent future cross-border economic shocks.

With membership drawn from far and wide, the array and caliber of membership of this commission is a confirmation of Gambari’s resourcefulness and acceptance in the international community.

Gambari, a distinguished Nigerian and world citizen turned 70 on November 24. His life in the past 31 years has been devoted to public service and indeed service to mankind. Gambari needs no introduction, having held office as Foreign Affairs Minister after the collapse of the Second Republic.

He holds the record of being the longest serving Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations (January 1990 to October 1999), and altogether served under five Heads of State and President. He was born in Ilorin, now Kwara State, Nigeria, in 1944, and his aristocratic background must have played a role in his devotion to service. He left indelible imprints in the world politics and international system.

I met Gambari during my undergraduate years in my insatiable quest for knowledge. I was in need of a copy of his book, Theory and Reality in Foreign Policy Decision Making. Knowing full well that he does not reside in Nigeria, I was faced with an uphill task. With his email address, I was able to start what is now a lifelong friendship with Gambari from then till this present moment. In spite of his commanding heights as an international civil servant, he attended to my request with dispatch and sent the book from his US base through his son (who has since then become our reliable courier). You are bound to be touched by Gambari’s humility.

Gambari’s appointment as Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) was the beginning of his involvement in Nigeria’s foreign policy in its entirety. To assert that he was prepared for this challenge will be an understatement, for having received M.A. and Ph.D. both in Political Science/International Relations from Columbia University, he came fully prepared.

He was in this position till his appointment as the Minister of External Affairs following the December 1983 military change of government. His tenure in office witnessed the high point of Nigeria’s engagement in international politics, and chiefly the Dikko affair (a foiled attempt to return the erstwhile Minister of Transport, the late Alhaji Umaru Dikko to the country from London in a crate), which was handled with utmost professionalism. Based on principle, he rejected the position of Minister of Education at the end of his tenure in August 1985 because his former bosses were still in detention.

Writing extensively on Nigeria’s foreign policy, regional economic integration and International politics, he has captured his rich hands-on experience in numerous books. As an academic, and in spite of his diplomatic calling he has published and continues to publish articles in national and international scholarly journals.

As Nigeria’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Gambari was a senior member of the Nigerian Delegation to ten consecutive sessions of the General Assembly (44th to 54th); he also served as President of the Security Council on two occasions (May 1994 and October 1995). He has chaired the UN Special Committee Against Apartheid, which successfully saw the fall of that long-standing social injustice and the establishment of democratic rule in South Africa.

He led several United Nations Missions, including the Special Committee Against Apartheid Mission to South Africa and the Security Council Missions to South Africa, Burundi, Rwanda and Mozambique. Gambari chaired the UN Special Committee on Peace-Keeping Operations. He served as member, Board of Trustees of the United Nations Institute of Training and Research (UNITAR) and also President, Executive Board of UNICEF. He later served as Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission to Angola (UNMA), and in that capacity helped to bring the peace process under the Lusaka Protocol to a successful conclusion.

Upon completion of his mission assignment as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative in 1999, the UN, in recognition of his expertise offered him yet another appointment as Under-Secretary/Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on African Affairs. He later became the Under-Secretary/ Head, Political Affairs Dept of the UN- the most important office after that of the Secretary General. Gambari served the UN as Under-Secretary/Special envoy of the UN Secretary-General to the troubled Myanmar where his mediatory efforts yielded fruits, and led to multi- party democracy and the release of Aang Sun kyi from house arrest after close to two decades, and her election into the parliament.

The career of this seasoned diplomat in the UN cuts across important committees, commissions and special assignments including the chair of UN Security Council, UN committee on Apartheid, the head and special representative of UN Secretary –General to Cyprus, International compact with Iraq, UN special envoy to Myanmar (formerly Burma) and until recently joint UN-AU special representative to Darfur.

Among the highpoints of his illustrious career was his role as the last chairperson of the UN Committee against Apartheid, under which aegis he presented UN’s congratulatory letter to the legendary Nelson Mandela during his inauguration as president of South Africa in 1994. In connection with this role, Gambari was in October 2012 honoured by the government and people of South-Africa with the highest decoration reserved for foreign recipients.

His commitment to peace and security of the world inspired him establish the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development, a non-governmental “think-tank” based in Abuja, Nigeria. The centre is devoted to critical analyses of and solutions to the problems of conflict prevention, management and resolution; democratization and sustainable development in Africa.

Gambari’s greatest attributes are listening, patience, writing, reading voraciously and power of retention, humility and promotion of friendship. He has touched the lives of so many people and has made a significant difference in many of those lives be it through mediating in a conflict or by helping to maintain the thin social fabric that conflicts so often tear apart.
Gambari’s compassion and deep respect for the human person regardless of their background is widely acclaimed. Even after my graduation from the university, I have continued to enjoy what might be considered the paternal support of this uncommon Nigerian. Ours has grown into a father and son relationship. He shared with me moments of joy and despair, especially after my recent auto accident. He not only stood by me, he gave a fat present to aid my full recovery.

I must salute the humility and kindness of this great son of Africa and a distinguished Nigerian. May Allah continue to protect him and his household. Happy 70th birthday my mentor and confidant!
Mr. Badejo Nurudeen, a commentator on national issues, wrote from Lagos.