National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has described the former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Walter Carrington, who died last Wednesday, as a citizen of one nation, son of two.
Tinubu, in a special tribute to the late ambassador, said he came to Nigeria on a diplomatic assignment, “but his true mission was even more sublime. According to him, “Walter was both an African and an American. This identity he knew well, for it shaped who he was and guided what he did.”
The former Lagos governor, who collaborated with Carrington in the struggle for democracy in Nigeria, commended the late ambassador, saying he lent himself to the fight against repressive government in Nigeria. “He openly and unconditionally championed the advent of democratic freedom and constitutional governance in the country,” he said.
Tinubu’s emotional tribute, which was titled, “Ambassador Walter Carrington – Citizen of One Nation, Son of Two,” expressed sadness by the passing of Carrington, while thanking God for giving him a long life of 90 years full of exemplary deeds and the best of human achievement.
The tribute reads in parts: “We thank God for giving Nigeria Walter Carrington when He did. Ambassador Carrington came to Nigeria on a diplomatic assignment, but his true mission was even more sublime. Walter was both an African and an American. This identity he knew full well, for it shaped who he was and guided what he did. The best of both worlds was evident in him. This man may have been the citizen of one country, but he was surely the brave and passionate son of two nations.
“Last month, I penned a tribute to Ambassador Carrington as Nigeria joined him in celebrating his 90th birthday. Little did any of us know that we would so soon have to say farewell to this outstanding example of courage amidst humility, of intellect teamed with compassion. Walter Carrington was a renowned scholar, author, and astute, innovative diplomat.”
These things are excellent but they don’t tell the full picture. He was much more than that. He was a proud and noble black man who stood up for his convictions when it would have been easier to simply turn and look the other way,” Tinubu wrote.