The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday condoled with the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the family of the late Nelson Mandela over the death of the former South African President.
The NLC described the late Mandela as a great man for all seasons.
In a statement in Abuja, titled: A Legend Goes Home, the congress said the late Mandela was a rare breed whose death would create a void that would be difficult to fill in South Africa and across the world.
The statement, by NLC President Abdulwahed Omar, noted that the former South African president was irreplaceable with his priceless contributions to peace.
The statement reads: “Mandela was the rallying point of an inimitable and unstoppable moral force with which world leaders with a conscience sought to identify.
“His contributions to the struggle against the obnoxious apartheid regime was not only legendary, he became the symbol of the struggle which earned him 27 cruel years in prison on Robben Island. It was a fitting tribute that he came from prison to become president of a multi-racial South Africa.
“The genius in Mandela was clearly etched in his policy of national reconciliation through the instrumentality of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The world was spell-bound. But Mandela was not yet done. He left office after one term, sending a strong signal to sit-tight rulers, especially in Africa.
“Mandela was a remarkable man. In spite of a turbulent political career and a tumultuous family life, he created happiness for himself and inspired millions of others. Failing health did not deter him from condemning evil, injustice, oppression or exploitation wherever any of such was found in the world. Few, if any, joined issues with this total giant. For him, ‘diplomatese’ is no substitute for truth. Similarly, he believed the true value of a man does not lie in his being accepted but in making others accept what is right.
“Mandela came, identified his mission and fulfilled it. The exit of this legend may yet not be his end. Legends live after themselves, after all. That is why they are legends.
“Mandela, in the words of (South African President) Jacob Zuma, was the glue that held South Africa together. His death may yet waxen that glue, given the overwhelming outpouring of grief. Besides that, every nation needs a rallying point. For South Africans, in death or in life, that point will continue to be the Madiba.”
