Samuel Shafiishuna Daniel Nujoma was on the verge of an historic victory on 11 November, 1989. The votes for the first democratic elections in Namibia, his long suffering country, were being counted. The colonial South African Apartheid regime was billed to grant independence in March 1990.
It was night. Suddenly, the lights went off. Nujoma and the South West Africa People’s Organisation, SWAPO, liberation movement he had co-founded, were far ahead in the vote count and it appeared that the Apartheid regime was bent on scuttling the process.
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Some of the election monitoring teams, including Nigeria, immediately organised all cars available to switch on their lights and beam them at the counting centre. Also, the contingent of Nigeria policemen produced their torch lights to check any possible rigging and, enable the counting to go on.
A member of the Nigerian delegation, Ambassador Joe Keshi, then walked up to the leader of the Apartheid regime at the centre and warned that with Nujoma and SWAPO in a comfortable lead in the vote count before the lights went off, it must remain so otherwise the regime would have serious trouble in its hands. The Apartheid chief protested his innocence, saying the light failure was merely coincidental.
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After the count and clear victory, Keshi went to see Nujoma in his house. He was not aware that Nujoma had been briefed about him confronting the Apartheid chief. As soon as he entered the sitting room, the famous guerilla fighter, in joy,grabbed Keshi and tried to lift him off the ground. Both men almost fell. That was the very warm, hospitable, respectful and humane Nujoma.
At the Wednesday, February 26, 2025 celebration of the life of Nujoma held in the Rotunda Hall of the Nigerian Foreign Affairs Ministry, retired Assistant Inspector General of Police Ezidinma Ifejika recalled the lights out incidence. He had led the 183-man Nigerian police contingent to Namibia. Immediately the lights went off, his men had produced torch lights to prevent any hanky-panky. He said Nujoma later sent for him and personally thanked him for the quick intervention of the Nigerian policemen.
After the elections, the new government requested that the Nigerian, Irish, Pakistani, Ghanaian and Indian contingents stayed for another three months to teach the Namibian Police better policing.
The Apartheid regime had conceded to Namibian independence for 1990 after the Cuban military had travelled 11,032 kilometres to Angola and inflicted a crushing defeat on its military forces. The unrelenting Cuban forces had pushed back the invading Apartheid military into Namibia. To avoid a catastrophic capitulation, Apartheid South Africa signed a truce agreeing to Namibian and South African independence.
At the Abuja programme for Nujoma, Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, Miriam Morales Palmero who met Nujoma a number of times, said the comradeship of Cubans and Namibians was forged on the battlefield. She said Cuba awarded Nujoma the Jose Marti award for his contributions to human liberation. Palmero, a former World Youth Leader, commended Nujoma for making youths an integral part of decision-making in Namibia.
The Angolan Embassy said in Nujoma we have lost a Pan Africanist who dedicated his entire life to the cause of freedom. It recalled that Nujoma lived part of his exile life in Angola where SWAPO also had a base which was partly responsible for the invasions by Apartheid forces.
Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar paid tribute to Nujoma whom he described as an African giant who was not a vacillator. Nujoma, he said, was a voice of the voiceless and champion of the marginalised who helped to unite the diverse groups of Namibia. He praised him for giving priority to education and healthcare.
Chief Emeka Anyaoku, GCON, Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations, 1990-2000, said it was with sadness he heard that the great Iroko tree of Namibia had fallen. He recalled that Nujoma was so appreciative of the role he played in the independence struggle that he conferred Namibia’s national honour on him.
Senator Ike Omar Sanda Nwachukwu, a retired Major General who was Nigeria’s Foreign Minister in 1990, the year Namibia secured independence, recalled that when they met, Nujoma wore a well-groomed beard and a meek look that camouflaged a tough fighter. He said Nigeria was completely dedicated to the liberation of Namibia and that apart from redeeming all its pledges to that country, it also established a N100 million Namibia Solidarity Fund. He said Nujoma was a man of character who was prudent and selfless and a true Pan Africanist.
Ambassador Bagudu Mutle Hirse, former Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, was in regular consultation with Nujoma when he was Nigerian Higher Commissioner to Namibia from February 2000. He revealed that the late liberation fighter used to tell him that what Namibia got was political, not economic independence. Nujoma, he said, regarded Nigeria as his second home.
Ambassador John Kayode Shinkaiye, who was Chief of Staff to the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, said Nujoma was an exceptional and remarkable African leader who rallied international support for Namibia’s independence.
Shinkaiye who was one of the African diplomats who saw off Nujoma at the airport on his last visit to Britain as a freedom fighter, said the late Namibian President was known for his candid opinion. He said in and out of office, Nujoma was a friend of Nigeria. Regrettably, he added, same cannot be said of some other countries Nigeria supported in the liberation struggles.
The Director General of the National Institute of International Affairs, Professor Eghosa Osaghae, who described Nujoma as a great African liberator, recalled that a number of prominent post-colonial leaders in Namibia were educated in Nigeria. He gave the example of Professor Peter Katjavivi who attended Government College, Umuahia from 1963-1966 and went on to become the founding Vice Chancellor, Namibia University and later, Speaker of the Namibian National Assembly.
The Zimbabwean Embassy which spoke on behalf of the Southern African Development Community, paid tribute to liberation leaders like Nelson Mandela, Robert Mugabe, Kenneth Kaunda and Sam Nujoma all of whom, it noted, clocked at least 95 before departing. It thanked Nigeria for supporting the liberation struggles in the continent.
The Namibian High Commissioner Humphrey Geiseb said from an early age Nujoma recognised the injustice done to his people, had to go on exile and became the symbol of hope. His administration, he said, championed education, land reform and laid the basis for economic development. He thanked Nigeria for standing by Nujoma and SWAPO from 1960 and that in appreciation, the major road on which the Nigerian High Commission is situated in Namibia is named after Murtala Mohammed, a former Nigerian Head of State.
Nujoma passed away in Windhoek on 8 February.
Owei Lakemfa, a former secretary general of African workers, is a human rights activist, journalist and author.
