Tinubu Hails Nujoma’s Legacy As Namibia Buries Founding Father

President Bola Tinubu has paid glowing tribute to the late founding president of the Republic of Namibia, Dr. Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma, describing him as a warrior who galvanised Nigeria and other African nations to fight for his country’s freedom.

The late Nujoma, a revered figure who led his country to gain independence and steered the nation on the path towards democracy and stability, passed away on February 8, 2025 at the age of 95 at a hospital in the capital, Windhoek, where he had been confined for weeks due to an illness.

Speaking during a state burial for the late Namibian leader held at Heroes’ Acre, Windhoek, Namibia yesterday, President Tinubu who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, in a statement by his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha noted that Dr. Nujoma’s demise was not an exit from space and time, but the wake of his immortality in the minds of Africans.

Shettima, in the company of several African Heads of Government, joined President Nangolo Mbumba of Namibia at the state burial where he paid Nigeria’s last respect – on behalf of President Tinubu.

In his speech delivered by Vice President Shettima, Tinubu eulogised the foremost African statesman, saying he was not just a national hero but a warrior who defied oppression and inspired an entire continent.

He highlighted Nigeria’s support for Namibia’s liberation struggle, stressing that the bond between the two nations was forged in the fight against apartheid and colonial rule.

He said: “Nigeria was not a bystander in the Namibian struggle. When the world turned its back, we stood. When your voice was drowned by the guns of apartheid, we spoke.

“When your hands were tied, we reached out. We did not do this as charity. We did not do this as a favour. We did this because your struggle was our struggle. Your pain was our pain. Your freedom was our freedom.”

President Tinubu reassured the people of Namibia of Nigeria’s solidarity, asserting that the struggle that united both countries has become the foundation of an unbreakable friendship.

The burial was also attended by Presidents of South Africa, Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa; Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa;  Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi; Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan; Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera, and Ghana, John Mahama, as well as some former Presidents, and heads of missions.

Nujoma was seen as the last of a generation of African figures who headed anti-colonial movements and fought for freedom.

“Therefore his departure signals an end of an era, a founding father of Africa,” President Mbumba said in an earlier speech at a national memorial service on Friday.

Nujoma’s coffin, draped in the Namibian flag, was driven by a military gun carriage from the centre of the capital, Windhoek, where the body was lying in state, to the burial ground on the outskirts of the city. Mourners had been arriving since the early hours, the independent Namibian newspaper reported.