President Bola Tinubu has mourned the passing of renowned United States civil rights icon and Baptist preacher, Rev. Jesse Jackson as he attributed the emergence of Barack Obama as the first black American President to his activism.
Tinubu joined the world and the people of the United States to mourn Jackson’s demise in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday.
NPO Reported that the US civil rights leader died earlier today at the age of 84.
Tinubu described Jackson as a servant-leader who captured global imagination as a young activist alongside civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr.
Tinubu said Jackson was influential in American politics and global affairs, and helped pave the way for Barack Obama’s emergence as the first Black American president.
“When Barack Obama broke the glass ceiling as the first Black President in America, it was Rev. Jackson who first inflicted the cracks on the ceiling in 1984 and again in 1988,” he said.
The Nigerian president said Jackson fought for the dignity of black people, the oppressed and the voiceless in the United States and across the world.
He maintained that the late activist became a national and global icon who demanded improved social and economic conditions for African-Americans.
Tinubu said Jackson carried on the unfinished work of Martin Luther King Jr. in the struggle for racial justice.
“As a student in the United States in the 1970s, I lived in Chicago, the same city where Reverend Jackson fought the most important battles against injustice,” he said.
“I witnessed firsthand how, as a faithful servant of God and humanity, he pointed the arc of American society to the great promise of the American dream.” He said.
The president noted that Jackson was a great friend of Nigeria and Africa and a formidable voice against apartheid in South Africa.
He recalled his leading role in campaigns for the release of Nelson Mandela and other African National Congress leaders.
Tinubu said Jackson also defended human rights and democratic rule during Nigeria’s era of military dictatorship.
He also recalled the late US icon’s service as Special Envoy appointed by President Bill Clinton to Nigeria and Africa in 1997 and 1999.
The president said Jackson promoted civil liberties and helped link African leaders with the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus to advance Africa’s interests.
Tinubu said Jackson remained a strong voice for justice and human progress, urging people to “keep hope alive”.
He prayed for the repose of his soul.