By SIMBO OLORUNFEMI
Seated on the desk to my left, as I write this, is the book – “Theory and Reality in Foreign Policy-Making” by Ibrahim A. Gambari, published in 1989. A hardcover, it is the Author’s only copy, with the book now out of print and the publisher out of business. It is one of his two books graciously lent to me to help with my ongoing research work on Nigeria’s foreign policy.
I had taken to Political Science as a young man, under the influence of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, who had studied the subject at the University. I was intrigued by his story, not just from what I had read from the books, as a teenager, but from first-hand accounts from my friend, Ademola Adegoroye, who had met Zik as a child, when he came visiting the Father, who was Chairman of the Nigerian People’s Party and the Gubernatorial Candidate of the largely unknown party in the old Ondo State. I was fascinated enough by the politics of the Second Republic and the stories from Demola that I decided to study the subject at the University.
That fascination will all but fizzle out, though, within the first year, as I struggled to make the connection between what I thought we should have been studying and what Greek philosophers like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle were saying to us. I lost interest until I discovered the world of international relations, which eventually became my go-to for Undergraduate thesis and Postgraduate studies.
Prof Ibrahim Agboola Gambari was Nigeria’s External Affairs Minister at the time, and as students, we were minded to pay attention, with an international relations Scholar taking up appointment as Nigeria’s Foreign Policy Czar in the first coming of General Muhammadu Buhari. It didn’t occur to me at the time that it was a ground-breaking appointment until our recent conversation around it (the USA didn’t have one with a scholarly background until Henry Kissinger was appointed 56th Secretary of State in 1973). He was the first Scholar or Subject Matter Expert to be appointed to that office. His performance must have inspired an encore, with Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, his successor as the Director General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, the country’s premier foreign policy think-tank, succeeding him as Minister. Years later, another Director General of the Institute, Prof Joy Ogwu, was appointed as Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
His story is an inspiring one that should push generations behind to subscribe to a life of purpose and distinction in the pursuit of excellence in scholarship, diplomacy and service to humanity.
It is interesting that many years later, having completed an extensive tour of duty around the world as well as his assignment as the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof Gambari is back home as Chairman of the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD), a research and advocacy non-governmental organisation, which he founded, and having now made my way back to international relations, I now have an opportunity to learn from him, in my ongoing research work at reimagining Nigeria’s foreign policy.
In a way, Prof Gambari’s career in international diplomacy reads like Nigeria’s foreign relations history over a period of two or three decades. While his service as Minister of External Affairs (1984-1985) was brief, he would go on to set the record as the longest-serving Nigerian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1990 to 1999, serving under five Heads of State and Presidents. Within that period, he served as the Chairman of the United Nations Special Committee Against Apartheid (1990-1994) and on Peace-Keeping Operations (1990-1999).
At the peak of his illustrious career was the appointment as the first United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Africa from 1999 to 2005. He was Head of the United Nations Department of Political Affairs (2005-2007) and also operated as UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Cyprus, Zimbabwe, and Myanmar, and Special Representative in Angola. Professor Gambari also served as Joint AU/UN Special Representative in Darfur and Head of UNAMID from 2010 to 2012.
As an international diplomat, Professor Gambari was highly regarded for his exemplary skills in conflict resolution, peacekeeping, and the promotion of human rights. For his role in mediating peace in Angola following the Lusaka Protocol, he was recently honoured with the Peace and Development Medal by President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço of the Republic of Angola during the official ceremony marking the 50th Independence Anniversary of the country. In recognition of his contributions to the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa, he was honoured with South Africa’s highest national award given to non-citizens, the Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo (OCORT).
While in extended service abroad over these decades, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, who hails from the royal family in Ilorin, remained well-grounded at home. I recall the launch of his book in Lagos in 2008, at which I saw notable Nigerians turn up, all with kind words for him. In a recent conversation, years after I had been pushing for it, he reflected on the power of relationships. He talked about his life-long relationship with childhood friend, Mr Tunde Yusuf, stretching from Ilorin to their time at King’s College, their university days in the UK, US/Canada, and return to lecture at Ahmadu Bello University and University of Ibadan, which has stretched to a strong bond among other members of their families, which I bear witness to. He advised on the need for the younger generations to nurture their relationships.
Prof Gambari’s life and work is a rare fusion of intellectual rigour and unparalleled commitment to service. The quality of his thought stands him out as a foremost scholar and one of the most respected authorities on foreign policy and regional integration. His most defining work is in the adoption/adaptation of the “Concentric Circles” theory as a conceptual framework to explain and guide Nigeria’s foreign policy priorities, from the dot of national interest to the outer rings, starting with the immediate neighbourhood and progressively expanding to broader regional, continental, and global spheres. This distinctive intellectual contribution by Professor Gambari continues to shape the understanding and articulation of Nigeria’s foreign policy to date, and to his credit, he continues to prepare successor generations through personal engagements, his work at the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD), and as Chancellor/Pro-Chancellor in different universities.
Beyond his legacy as a scholar and an accomplished diplomat, respected for his negotiation and peace-making skills, Prof Gambari’s contributions are indeed far-reaching. His story is an inspiring one that should push generations behind to subscribe to a life of purpose and distinction in the pursuit of excellence in scholarship, diplomacy and service to humanity. This is wishing Prof Ibrahim Agboola Gambari a happy 81st Birthday.
*Simbo Olorunfemi is a specialist on Nigeria’s foreign policy, a communications consultant, and the managing editor of Africa Enterprise. Email: [email protected]
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