By Godknows Igali
It was former Prince of Wales and now King Charles III of England who once said that “the art of diplomacy is not just about negotiating agreements but it is about building trust and understanding amongst people”. It is for this reason that kings, princes and the nobility have always been the patrons of the craft of keeping the countries of the world talking to one another and building bridges between cultures and the nations. The Nigerian nation recently came to regurgitate on this realism, as one of its very best, Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, a blue blooded scholar, diplomat and statesman entered the sacred halls of octogenarians on 24th November 2024.
At various times, this scion of the royal lineage of Ilorin, one of the main towns in North Central Nigeria, had attained fame and respect as a researcher and tenured professor of political science, at various academic institutions, especially the Ahmadu Bello University. He has served at various times as Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Director General of the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) and Permanent Representative of Nigeria at the world’s apex body, United Nations, where he later became Under-Secretary General. In the preceding administration, he rounded up his public service as Chief of Staff to the 15th President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari.
No wonder Nigerians and the entire global community gathered en masse in Ilorin to celebrate Professor Gambari’s 80 years of existence and impactful service to his people and indeed the global community. In particular were the superlative adulations from Nigeria’s current President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and the retinue of world leaders, including former Presidents, Governors and political gentry. The praises were nicely, generous and replete with great praise – opus lauditum. The events were not few, as scores of scholars, diplomats, civil society and indeed persons of goodwill around the world rolled out the big drums for celebrations in New York, Addis Ababa, Abuja, Ilorin to mark deservedly the life of this prince.
On Princes, Kings and Diplomatic Service
It is not amiss that Gambari got so in-depth in the world of diplomacy as this is a recurrent preoccupation of people of his ilk and breeding, as they often acculturate into that sphere unwittingly. The celebration of the life of a living diplomat as Gambari poses the need to ask, why do kings and princes get infused in interstate politics?
From its incipient days, the conduct of diplomacy between communities, states and nations has been a preoccupation which persons of royal birth arrogated to themselves. Indeed, kings, queens, princes and princesses, through the course of history engaged in such roles as Special Envoys and leading in securing alliances, negotiating trade agreements and championing the cause of peace treaties.
It was easy for persons of such status to have played roles of diplomatic endeavours due to the fact that they were considered to represent the force of the sovereignty of the community, people or the nations which they represented. As the old maxim still holds, based on customary and treaty international laws, all nations are sovereign and considered to be equal to one another. Hence, the charter of the United Nations of 1945 adumbrates the fact that all states are equal before international laws no matter the size of their territories, population, economy or military might. It was therefore considered that the supreme power to go out and speak for any group of people was vested in the persons of the sovereign, whether a village chief, king, emperor or the princes and other persons that pertain to them.
In a world where royalty has been at the forefront of diplomacy, it is much difficult to list in any exhaustive manner who these actors have been. It will be enough, passing, to mention King Ashoka of India, credited to have established diplomatic relations with all neighbouring countries during the third century BC. Similarly, religious scripts record the feat of King Solomon of Israel who established diplomatic ties with Egypt and Abyssinian (Ethiopia). On the continent of Europe, King Charlemagne is more remembered for his diplomatic efforts in bringing various people of that part of the world together, more through diplomacy than military campaigns. Also, of spectacular impact was King Richard, the lion heart of England, who extended his olive branch to Sultan Saladin of Egypt during the third crusade in the 12th century, bringing peace to the world. This was similar to the effort of King Francis I of France during the 16th century who undertook diplomatic shuttles to establish relations with others. Even more outstanding was Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal in reaching out to the world during the 1500s, and Prince Faisal bin Abdulaziz al Saud who established the modern Saudi State and opened up the Arab world to the United States of America.
In Nigeria itself, the Benin kingdom established diplomatic relations with Portugal as far back as the 15th century, after contact was first established in 1442. By 1540, during the reign of Oba Esigie, Benin sent envoys to King Don Emmanuel of Portugal who returned after acquiring western education and fluency in European languages. In a similar vein, during the tail end of the 19th century, the other sovereigns of the coastal states such as King Jaja of Opobo, Oba Ovonramwen of Benin, King Koko of Nembe, King William Dappa Pepple of Grand Bonny, King Eyo Honesty of Calabar, Chief Nana of Itsekiri and others were engaged in highest levels of diplomatic contact with Queen Victoria and imperialist Britain. This was same in the Northern parts of Nigeria especially the Kanem Bornu Empire which had great links with North Africa and the Middle East since the 19th century.
It is against this backdrop that the modern practice of diplomacy especially between nations developed, finding a useful place for Ibrahim Gambari, and many like him of rival lineage within Nigeria’s diplomatic circles and made to carry documents such as Letters of Commission and Letters of Accreditation bearing the seal of their principal. In modern era, however, diplomacy has become open to all and is no more an exclusive preoccupation of royals and nobles.
Back to the Home Foundation
Ibrahim Gambari’s dynasty are indigenes of one of the most historic and idyllic families of Ilorin which itself is a town of many distinctive features that is a microcosm of the cultural and linguistic diversity of Nigeria. This capital city of Kwara State in Nigeria, boasts a complex and mosaic history that spans at least two centuries. Actually, it represents the intersection of the cultures of the Yoruba, Nigeria’s second largest ethnic group and Hausa-Fulani, often rated as the most dominant group in the country. The town has grown into a unique amalgam of intricate demographics and undergone evolution into a thriving cosmopolis over time.
The writers of Yoruba History such as Sabiru Biobaku, adduce that Gambari’s hometown has its origin in the early 19th century when one Afonja, a celebrated Yoruba warrior from the Oyo Empire established his base. Initially, the town served as a military outpost, tasked with defending the empire’s northern borders against Fulani incursion. However, the town’s strategic location and ambience for agriculture made it attractive for immigrants, swelling its numbers rather rapidly. The indigenous Baruba people of the town (an ethnic group presently found primarily in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State as well as in neighbouring Benin Republic), had inhabited the area for centuries. Later, they were joined by Yoruba, Hausa-Fulani, hence the current unique demographic identity and kaleidoscope.
The Fulani Jihad of the 19th century led by Sheikh Othman Dan Fodio impacted profoundly Ilorin’s history, as the town became a key centre for the spread of Islam in the region. In 1824, one of the Fulani jihadists and Islamic scholar, Alimi, subdued Ilorin and formed an emirate, which became a major centre of Islamic learning and culture.
The Gambari family is one of the most prominent of the cluster of royal families of Ilorin. Accounts have it that they are descendants of the founder of Ilorin, Afonja, and Fulanis from the Alimi group who later came to be part of the town. As such, the Gambaris played a significant role in the Fulani jihad, which led to the establishment of the Ilorin Emirate and socio-political experiences of the town. To their credit, the family has produced several prominent leaders, including emirs, who have ruled Ilorin for centuries. Some notable members of the Gambari Royal House include Afonja: the founder of Ilorin and the first leader of the Gambari Royal Family; Emir Abdulkadir Dan-Babawa who ruled the town in the early 20th century; Emir Sulu Gambari who reigned from 1959 to 1992; and Emir Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari who has been on the throne since 1992.
But who is Ibrahim Agboola Gambari?
Ibrahim Gambari was born on November 24, 1944, in Ilorin and joined the suite of the royal household. The precincts of the palace were well marked by koranic education and grooming in etiquette and decorum. Of particular worth was the place of character formation and moral fosterage. In terms of educational accomplishments, he had been well prepared for life of tertiary education at King’s College, Lagos which was established in 1909 as the premier institution with the best of young male Nigerians who were expected to play critical roles in the future of the country. Later on, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in International Economics from the London School of Economics and also obtained a Master’s and Ph.D. in Political Science/International Relations from Columbia University, New York. His alma mater, the London School of Economics (LSE) and the University of Columbia in New York in the USA were founded in 1895 and 1754 respectively. Indeed, both institutions were established by Royal Charter and are today rated as among the best in terms of research and academics in the entire world. At both institutions, the young Gambari excelled and left indelible marks in academics which remain a referral point.
Experience in the Classroom
Before veering into diplomacy and national service, Gambari had left his imprimatur as a thorough bred teacher, scholar and researcher. He therefore taught at several prestigious institutions, including the City University of New York, the State University of New York, and Ahmadu Bello University Zaria in Nigeria. For a start, having performed exceptionally well, he was retained by the City University of New York and later at the State University of Albany, also in New York. Both institutions are highly rated in the American tertiary education system. These gave him a good launch pad before returning home to take up appointment at the Ahmadu Bello Universit Zaria as a Lecturer in International Relations. This enabled him to tutor most of Nigerian career diplomats from the Northern part of Nigeria in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Apart from these, between 1986 and 1989, he also did extensive research work at three top-flight American academic institutions located within the Washington D.C. area. These include John Hawkins School of International Studies, Georgetown University, Howard University, Brooklyn institutions, and the Rockefeller Foundation.
Robust Diplomatic Footprint
In addition to his outstanding academic profile, Gambari soon became more known as an accomplished diplomat and global citizen. Although the foundations of his diplomatic engagements were within the Nigerian foreign policy arena, he soon became, by dint of hardwork and what many in Nigeria have described as divine approbation, a global phenomenon, celebrated in virtually all the capitals of the world. Having carved out a niche for himself as a razor sharp scholar in analysis of foreign policy, he soon found himself appointed as Director-General of the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Nigeria’s premier foreign affairs think-tank established in 1961. It was from that pedestal that he got appointed, seemingly on promotion as Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1984 and served till 1985 to then military ruler, Muhammadu Buhari who had then taken over power from the democratically elected President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari. His period at foreign affairs was therefore tough as he had to convince the international community on the object of the military coup which brought his boss to power and the direction of a government that focused itself on supposed rectitude and moral rebirth of the country with such programmes as “War Against Indiscipline (WAI)”.
Even though he had taken over from a personality as Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, who was President Shagari’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gambari could not do much to change the accent of the autarkist tilt in terms of foreign policy. However, he came up with a brilliant definition of Nigeria’s Afrocentrism, based on “Concentric Circles”. In his exegesis, the inner concentric is supposed to be Nigeria’s immediate neighbours, both of ECOWAS and Central Africa while the next layer of the circle is the larger Africa space, and the third ring of this onion-like circle was the rest of the world. This was a brilliant approach, now a guiding principle, continuing to influence Nigeria’s foreign policy, as each circle, according to Gambari’s thesis, has a different radius but the same centre point which is Nigeria’s national interest. It also gave the foreign policy a clear geometric and practical precision in terms of what the country has to do with the rest of the world.
Shortly afterwards, he was appointed as Nigeria’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, a position which he held for a whooping seven years from 1992 to 1999. In this, he served “en serration” four Nigerian Heads of State, Ibrahim Babangida, Ernest Shonekan, Sani Abacha and Olusegun Obasanjo. Gambari’s stay as “Perm Rep” was a very interesting period because he had to deal with very serious issues bordering on Nigeria’s global standing. These include such bleak periods as during the reign of Sani Abacha when Nigeria came under a lot of international censure and sanctions due to perceived human right abuses and extrajudicial killing of activist and environmentalist, Ken Saro Wiwa. Gladly, however, he was also able to have had the privilege of bringing the cheering news of Nigeria’s return to democracy; a process that started under Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar and terminating in the election of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as president in 1999.
At the broader international level, Gambari came to play major roles in the UN. Perhaps having taken over from Gen. Joe Garba as Perm Rep, the quest for total decolonisation of Africa fell on him, thereby making him play critical roles in all the efforts that led to the independence of South Africa in 1994 and post-independence consolidation of Namibia. He was also pivotal in ensuring United Nations and international support for African development through the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD). By the time he finished his tenure as one of Nigeria’s most outstanding ambassadors at the UN, he had become, in a proverbial sense, a golden fish which could not be hidden from public glare. He was much sought after all over the world by national governments and multilateral institutions. Even in Nigeria, the government of then President Umar Yar’Adua initially wanted him to serve as Chairman of a proposed Conference on Niger Delta.
Gambari was soon whisked away by the 7th Secretary General of the UN, Kofi Annan to join the international civil service as Under-Secretary of the United Nations. With no breathing space, therefore, he resumed office as Under Secretary General and Special Adviser to the Secretary General on Africa from 1999 to 2005. At the time of this appointment, Africa which was just trying to de-cocoon itself from military dictatorship to civil rule and democratically elected governance needed Gambari’s charmed touch and spell of good fortune. This ensured that the continent had relative level of peace and stability as he was able to implement the policy of preventive diplomacy which his friend and boss, Kofi Annan had initiated. Later on, he was moved to the position of Under Secretary-General (Political Affairs) which is the highest position in the UN. In that respect, he served under both Kofi Annan and Ban-ki Moon who came in as 8th Secretary General. He continued in these offices, dealing with almost every political crisis in the world. He was, technically, at the time, the engine room of the United Nations and dealt directly with every major player on the global scene.
To crown all these efforts, in January 2010, he was again called back to service and was appointed by Ban-ki Moon and then Chairman of African Union (AU) Commission, Jean Ping as Special Representative on Darfur. It is to Gambari’s credit that during this period, that territory in Western Sudan was brought to a point of relative calm. It was his effort that led to the signing of the Peace Agreement on July 2011 that saw the Transitional Darfur Regional Authority reconstituted as Darfur Regional Territory and held sway in that territory until 2016 following a referendum on the status of the Darfur Region.
Gambari was also involved in other global actions. The most prominent was The Albright-Gambari Commission for Global Security, Justice and Governance, being a commission that was formed by the Hague Institute for Global Justice to consider new frameworks for collective action on issues such as state fragility, climate change, and the cyber-economy. It was co-chaired by former U.S. Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright and Professor Ibrahim A. Gambari.
Continued Public Service
After a rigorous diplomatic career, perhaps little compared to a few persons at the same time around the world, it was expected that Gambari will retire back to Nigeria into quiet anonymity. However, this was not so, as he was soon co-opted into the Presidential Villa as Chief of Staff to the President after the sudden death of Abba Kyari in 2020. He remained in office until the termination of President Buhari’s tenure on 29th May 2023. In the Nigerian Presidency known for highly political brinkmanship, many saw Gambari as the main stabilising factor in the much recluse government of former President Buhari. As the real McCoy with strong diplomatic and royal links in the country where persons of his ethnic pedigree, the Fulani’s and to a lesser extent, the Yorubas hold sway, he was the typical go-between in many instances. He also undertook strong global back channel work for the government which he served. And in many cases he had to take bullets or criticisms on behalf of his principal and always relied on his diplomatic instincts to speak himself out unscathed.
In between diplomatic engagements, Gambari took time to establish an advance centre for research, with facilities for conferences, seminars, exhibitions and the like in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria. The Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development established in February 2020 is a meeting point between his life work as an academic, gifted to the pursuit of knowledge and as a practical diplomat. Again, in 2014, he was made the Secretary-General of the National Political Conference convened by President Goodluck Jonathan to set a new political agenda for Nigeria. However, the very elaborate report of that work of 492 of the country’s leading brains remains stacked in government bookshelves.
The other side of the coin
Some have easily discountenanced Gambari’s meteoric rise as bordering on a lot of patronising influences. Such views posit this as associated to his royal birth and the fact that his family bloodline which has been part of the Fulani ruling regime in Nigeria, is part of Nigeria’s privileged ruling class from the north, which to a large extent, still rely on what appears clientelist and pushes the children of the emirs and royal family to the top. Also of particular note is the view that Gambari has never seemed disposed to speak in any negative manner to any of the governments that have ruled Nigeria. However, this is considered to be a very restricted view, as Gambari is known to have worked extra hard to attain all that he did in life. Indeed, virtually all acknowledge his brilliance and diligence, something that Gambari retained in all these various positions. It is apt to inform that his imprint on the international scene and his continued rise within that circle has nothing to do with the geopolitics and internal dynamics of Nigerian politics. On the contrary, he had carved a niche for himself at every point and attracted earned admiration and respect from his colleagues.
Conclusion
One good attribute which all adduce to Prof. Gambari, despite his elitist background is his humility, modesty and gift of simple demeanour. His life also typifies the saying by football legend, Pele of Brazil that “success is no accident but is hardwork, perseverance, learning, study, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing and prepared to do”. He has unlocked his entire potentials not by the name which he bore at birth or by the nature of blood flowing in his veins, but with continued dedication and resilience. He has proven that in life, as once said by Nelson Mandela, “it is always impossible until it is done”.
It is significant that throughout his career, Gambari has received numerous awards and honours, including the Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFR), the Order of the Companions of O.R. Tambo from South Africa, and several honorary doctorates from universities around the world.
At 80 years of age, he is obviously still shining bright and a testament of strength, resilience and character. A man of great experience, versatility and inspiration, he remains also of unimaginable kindness, compassion, and grace. As the world celebrates this global citizen on this his milestone age, we wish him many more years of active service to his Ilorin, the Afonja city and gateway to the north, to Nigeria, the greatest black nation and the entire sea of humanity. Like the royal diplomats of old, Prof. Gambari has proven himself a modern statesman and diplomat of unlimited extraordinary ad plenipotentiary standing, and this will not attenuate in a hurry.
Happy birthday, sir.
NB: Dr. Igali, an Ambassador and retired Permanent Secretary is First Vice President of the Academy of International Affairs, Nigeria
