— António Guterres, Secretary -General
On the Occasion of Nelson Mandela International Day

Today, we honour the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela — a towering figure of peace, reconciliation, justice, and human rights.

This year’s theme reminds us that Madiba was also a clear-eyed champion of poverty eradication and equality.

He knew that ending poverty is not an act of charity.
It’s an act of justice.

And a duty that belongs to us all.

We live in a world where inequality is becoming entrenched.

Where wealth accrues disproportionally for a lucky few — while many struggle to afford basic needs like food, water, shelter and education.

And where years of poverty-fighting progress have been stalled by conflict, economic shocks and climate disasters.

Like Madiba, we can all play a part in building fair economies and inclusive societies.
By investing in decent work, universal health coverage, quality education and social protection systems.

By scaling-up financing and reforming the international financial architecture, so developing countries get the funds and debt relief they need.

And by building economies rooted in renewable energy — for people and planet.
I have always been inspired by Madiba’s life and belief that when people stand together, nothing is impossible.

The future is in our hands.

Today and every day, let’s carry forward Mandela’s vision of a just, inclusive, equal and peaceful world.

By Olu Fasan

Twice in recent presidential election cycles, Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria’s former one-term president, allowed speculations to spread like wildfire that he would seek the presidency again. But twice, without as much as a whimper, the speculations fizzled out into thin air like a puff of wind. Recently, Jonathan issued an angry rebuttal to an allegation that he was offered N500bn to run against Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, to split the South-South votes. But such allegations only arose because of the cowardly manner Jonathan has pursued what’s truly his ambition to become Nigeria’s president again after failing to secure a second term in 2015, the only incumbent president, so far, to suffer that fate.

Ahead of the 2023 presidential election, former President Jonathan told supporters who urged him to run again: “The political process is ongoing. Just watch out!” Later, a group of pastoralists and Almajirai reportedly bought Jonathan APC’s N100mn nomination forms. Then, he held a long closed-door meeting with APC’s then national chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, presumably to see if the party would field him as its candidate. Leaving aside that it was APC that dislodged him from the presidency in 2015, Jonathan’s overture to the party was utterly naïve as the party would have to pick him over Bola Tinubu, APC’s co-founder, who strongly believed it was his turn to be president (“Emi lokan”), given he “made” Muhammadu Buhari president in 2015. Well, Jonathan abandoned his not-too-subtle, yet craven, attempt to join the race.

Fast forward to 2026, a year before the 2027 presidential poll. Speculations were rife again that Jonathan would run for the presidency. Earlier in October 2025, Professor Jerry Gana, a PDP chieftain and former information minister, said: “I can confirm that Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will contest the presidential election in 2027 as PDP candidate.” Jonathan did nothing to dissociate himself from Gana’s claim. Instead, he held closed-door meetings with some party leaders, including Senator David Mark, the national chairman of the African Democratic Congress, ADC. On May 7 this year, when a group of supporters called on Jonathan at his Abuja Office and urged him to run, he said: “Presidential race is not a computer game. But I heard you. And I will consult widely.” Then, a few weeks later, a faction of the PDP, led by Tanimu Turaki, nominated Jonathan as its presidential candidate by proxy, sending his “Certificate of Return” through Fred Agbedi, a Jonathan ally.

Of course, a certificate of return from the Turaki-led faction of the PDP is worth nothing if the faction’s legal status is still in doubt, as it is. The Supreme Court verdict in April this year created more ambiguity than clarity. While the court nullified the Ibadan convention that produced the Turaki-led national working committee of the PDP, it also upheld the earlier suspension of the key members that form the leadership of the faction backed by Nyesom Wike, indicating that those members lacked any standing to constitute the party’s NWC. Thus, technically, neither the Turaki-led faction nor the Wike-backed group is PDP’s recognised leadership. However, INEC, allegedly under Wike’s overbearing influence, has sided with his faction, recognising the faction’s NWC as PDP’s bona fide leadership on its website. So, the Turaki faction’s nomination of Jonathan as its presidential candidate is, without a Supreme Court verdict favouring the faction, purely academic.

But where does Jonathan himself stand? Well, he wants to be president again. Surely, he would like to emulate his good friend John Mahama of Ghana, who, after being defeated for re-election, returned to office for a non-consecutive second term. Needless to mention Donald Trump who also came back to power after a defeat. Truth is, Jonathan is still licking the wounds of his 2015 defeat and would like to redeem his bruised image. But he’s not Mahama and certainly not Trump, both of whom courageously took their destinies in the hands and drove the process leading to their comeback. Some would say Nigeria is not Ghana or the US. True, but it’s more about personality than national culture. After all, the same Nigeria produced the likes of Tinubu, whose philosophy, for good or bad, is “Who dares wins”!

Now, let’s be clear. Jonathan could legitimately have said he would stay out of partisan politics and not run for the presidency again. But that’s not what he’s been saying. Rather, he’s been telling people: “I’m not ruling out running, but I want to consult widely.” But do Nigerians, especially those who are invested in him, not deserve to know the outcome of the consultations? Or was Jonathan just stringing people along? Was he simply enjoying the buzz of being discussed as a likely presidential contender, knowing there’s no substance to it? Or how do we reconcile Jonathan’s purported consultations and closed-door meetings with his wife’s categorical statement that they would never return to Aso Rock?

In May last year, Patience Jonathan said: “I’m not going back to the villa, if you call me, I will not go.” She added that she would campaign “vigorously” for President Tinubu’s re-election, saying it would be a betrayal not to support Tinubu’s re-election, given how the Tinubus supported the Jonathans when they were in power. Except President Jonathan wanted to defy his wife, which most would consider very unlikely, he should have been equally categorical about not running for the presidency. But Jonathan’s public silence yet behind-the-scenes manoeuvrings fuelled speculations that he was keen to enter the race. He either lacks the courage to admit the truth and lance the boil on his so-called ambition, or he simply enjoys the attention the speculations gave him. Either way, it’s the trivialisation of politics; serious politicians elsewhere are more forthright about their politics and political aspirations.

Interestingly, there are no legal or constitutional barriers to Jonathan seeking the presidency again. In 2015, a Court of Appeal held that a 2018 constitutional amendment that prevents any president or governor from being sworn in a third time could not apply retroactively to Jonathan; in 2023, a Federal High Court in Yenegoa followed the Court of Appeal ruling and dismissed a suit seeking to ban Jonathan from joining that year’s presidential race; and in May this year, a Federal High Court in Abuja confirmed, based on the previous rulings, that Jonathan was eligible to run for the presidency in 2027. So, the only obstacles to Jonathan running for the presidency next year are political and personal, not legal or constitutional!

But in politics, Jonathan is not a fighter. Yet, thanks mostly to godfatherism, serendipity and happenstance, he has held six high political offices that, put together, no other Nigerian has occupied: deputy governor; acting governor; governor; vice-president, acting president; president! Of course, Jonathan ran for president in his own right in 2011 but under the shadows of godfathers like former President Obasanjo. The only time Jonathan attempted to be his own man was when he allegedly breached a “gentleman’s agreement” not to run in 2015 and did so. He lost that election. However, in his memoirs The Transition Hours, Jonathan blamed President Barack Obama for his defeat, saying Obama was determined to remove him from office. “They even brought some naval ships into the Gulf of Guinea in the days preceding the elections.” Jonathan effectively accused the American government of regime change. But why did he not speak out at the time? In a world where Iran is defying America, where Ukraine is fighting Russia to a standstill, Jonathan gave the impression that Nigeria under his leadership would simply cave in to superpower threat and bullying.

But as it was with geopolitics, so it is with domestic politics. Jonathan is extremely weak. His phlegmatism is not a virtue; it’s a weakness bordering on cowardice! Just as well that, after 2027, his name will never again come up as a likely candidate in any presidential election in Nigeria! Good riddance to an utter distraction!

*Dr Fasan is the author of ‘In The National Interest: The Road to Nigeria’s Political, Economic and Social Transformation’, available at RovingHeights bookstores.

By Aisha I. Dankani

With the tenure of António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, as the Secretary-General of the United Nations gravitates to an end in January 2027, the world’s attention is increasingly turning to what matters most to keep the global body tick: the search for credible candidates capable of leading the world through one of its most turbulent periods in modern history.

With Nigeria lucky to have many great nationals, especially Amina Mohammed, it behoves her to do the needful: present her as Africa’s next UN Secretary -General candidate.

The conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, climate change, widening poverty, humanitarian emergencies, migration, technological disruption and growing distrust among nations demand a leader of uncommon experience, diplomacy, integrity and vision.
Against this backdrop, the recent article: Overlooked by the President, published by LEADERSHIP newspapers on July 5, 2026 and reproduced on the Phoenix app, raises an important question that deserves thoughtful national debate:

Why has Nigeria not formally presented one of its most distinguished daughters, Amina J. Mohammed, for the highest office in global diplomacy?

It is a legitimate question. For if the world seeks competence, experience and credibility, few candidates can rival Amina Mohammed.

Her credentials are exceptional. Before becoming Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations in 2017, she had already established herself as one of the foremost architects of the global development agenda. As special adviser to former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, she led the process that culminated in the adoption of the historic 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the blueprint that continues to guide international efforts to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and promote prosperity for all.

Today, as Deputy Secretary-General and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, she coordinates the UN development system across the globe, helping shape responses to climate change, humanitarian crises, sustainable development and international cooperation. Few individuals possess such an intimate understanding of the workings of the United Nations.

Yet, before the world came to know Amina Mohammed, Nigeria already did. She served with distinction under successive administrations, beginning with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, where she played an important role in managing the implementation of debt-relief gains for poverty reduction and development. She later served former President Muhammadu Buhari as minister of environment, where she strengthened Nigeria’s engagement on climate policy and sustainable environmental management. Her career is remarkable for transcending partisan politics while remaining firmly anchored in national service.
International recognition naturally followed. Her work attracted the admiration of leading development partners, including Bill Gates and earned her widespread respect across the global development community.
But perhaps her greatest achievement lies beyond offices and titles. Amina Mohammed has become one of the strongest symbols of what the modern northern Nigerian woman can aspire to become.

A proud daughter of Gombe State, she has remained deeply rooted in her Islamic faith and northern identity while emerging as one of the world’s foremost advocates of sustainable development, climate justice, education, women’s inclusion and human dignity.

She has demonstrated that faith and progress are not mutually exclusive. She has shown that one can remain proudly Muslim, proudly northern and proudly Nigerian while providing leadership at the highest levels of international diplomacy.

To millions of young girls across Arewa, especially within the core Muslim North, she represents hope. She is living proof that education, character, faith and excellence can carry one from northern Nigeria to the highest councils of the international community.

She has become, in many respects, the poster figure for educated Muslim women in northern Nigeria.

Even while serving humanity globally, she has never forgotten home. Following the election of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State (APC) in 2019, Amina Mohammed accepted the responsibility of chairing the transition committee that prepared the incoming administration for its exceptional service to Gombe in the past seven years. Serving alongside distinguished Nigerians of Gombe extraction, including Dr Sadiq Umar Abubakar, who was deputy chairman, she once again demonstrated that international responsibility does not diminish commitment to one’s community. This combination of global excellence and local commitment is rare. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, therefore, has before him a rare opportunity.

However, a Nigerian nomination would not guarantee Amina Mohammed’s election. The selection of a United Nations Secretary-General is ultimately determined through consultations among member states, with the decisive role played by the United Nations Security Council before confirmation by the General Assembly. Nevertheless, Nigeria’s nomination and formal endorsement, which we expect soon, would send a powerful message. It would proclaim that Nigeria believes in merit. It would demonstrate confidence in one of its finest public servants. It would affirm Nigeria’s readiness to compete for leadership at the highest level of international diplomacy. And it would present Africa with a candidate whose credentials command respect across continents.

Such a decision would also resonate positively within northern Nigeria.
Many in Arewa increasingly seek reassurance that competence and excellence from the region continue to receive national recognition.

Supporting Amina Mohammed would not be an act of regional favouritism, it would simply acknowledge that one of Nigeria’s most accomplished daughters happens to come from the North.

Indeed, this is not about North versus South, it is not about party politics; it is not even primarily about President Tinubu, it is about Nigeria presenting its best to the world. Great nations proudly advance their finest citizens; Nigeria should not be any different.

History may yet decide who succeeds António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres. That decision ultimately belongs to the international community.
But history will also record whether Nigeria recognised excellence when it stood before us.

There is an old saying: If the cap fits, wear it. For Amina Mohammed, perhaps a more fitting expression is: If the scarf fits, Nigeria should proudly present it to the world. She has worn that scarf with dignity, distinction and honour—from Nigeria to New York, from Gombe to the global stage.
She has served humanity with uncommon devotion. She has honoured her country without seeking acclaim. She has inspired generations of young Africans, particularly girls from northern Nigeria, to dream beyond circumstance. Nigeria should now do its part.

Amina Mohammed is not merely Nigeria’s preferred candidate, she is Africa’s choice for the next United Nations Secretary-General.

Aisha I. Dankani, MFR, mni, is President and Convener of Kano LEADS (#DaRUWANA), K’asar Kano’s foremost NGO. She is a retired Director of the Federal Civil Service, a former Chief Magistrate, and an active politician and public affairs advocate from Kano State, Nigeria.