President Tinubu must do this for Africa

History occasionally places before nations an opportunity that transcends politics, personalities and immediate interests. Such moments demand vision and the courage and ability to recognise when a national decision becomes a continental legacy. For President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Republic of Nigeria, such a moment has just arrived.

The second and final tenure of United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, comes to an end in barely five months, on 31 December 2026. The search for his successor will become one of the most important diplomatic contests in the world. Nigeria, as Africa’s largest democracy, its most populous nation and one of the continent’s most influential voices, must not watch from the sidelines. President Tinubu must lead Africa’s campaign to present former Nigerian President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan as the continent’s candidate for the leadership of the United Nations.

This is not a call for favour. It is not a request for international sympathy. It is a postulation that is based on merit, experience and the urgent needs of a troubled world. At a time when nations are divided by wars, geopolitical rivalries, democratic setbacks and humanitarian crises, the United Nations needs a Secretary-General who understands that peace is not created by the dominance of powerful nations but by the patience of the wise.

Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has spent his political life demonstrating that principle. His journey to Nigeria’s highest office was historic. From Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, to Governor, Vice President and eventually President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, Jonathan rose through democratic institutions. But ironically, his greatest contribution to democracy did not come when he won power. It came when he surrendered it.

The world watched Nigeria in 2015 with anxiety. The presidential election had been fiercely contested. Political emotions were intense. There were genuine fears that a disputed outcome could trigger violence in a country of more than 180 million people at the time. Many believed Nigeria stood dangerously close to a national crisis. Then, President Goodluck Jonathan did what few leaders in Africa and beyond would have done. He placed the interest of his country above his personal ambition.

His now historic declaration that “my ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian” became more than a political statement. It became a torch-bearing moral standard. It was a declaration that public office is a temporary privilege, while human life is sacred and therefore, its sanctity must be respected.

When he called Muhammadu Buhari to concede defeat, even before the final polling results were announced, Jonathan did not merely accept an electoral outcome. He strengthened Nigeria’s democracy. He demonstrated that losing power peacefully can be as noble as winning an election. He showed Africa and the world that a leader’s greatness is not necessarily measured only by how he acquires authority but by how responsibly he can relinquish it.

That moment should not be underestimated for any reason. Across the world, elections had become flashpoints for instability. Leaders manipulated institutions, rejected defeat and plunged their nations into conflict because of personal ambition. Jonathan offered a different model that portrayed democratic maturity, restraint and patriotism. Yet Jonathan’s relevance did not end when he left Aso Rock.

After he left office, he transformed from a national politician into an international peace advocate. While many former leaders would comfortably retreat into private life, Jonathan dedicated his post-presidential years to strengthening democracy, mediating conflicts and promoting peaceful political transitions across Africa. Through his engagements with African and international organisations, election observation missions and mediation initiatives, Dr. Jonathan became one of the continent’s most respected voices on peace and stability. He travelled to countries facing political tensions, electoral disputes and governance challenges, not as a conqueror or a partisan figure, but as a trusted African statesman whose commitment was to ensure that peace replaced conflict in every case. His approach was always consistent: dialogue, not confrontation, reconciliation, not revenge, and stability and not personal or political interests first.

These are precisely the qualities required of a United Nations Secretary-General. The office of Secretary-General is not a throne of power. It is a position of moral leadership. The holder must persuade nations that often disagree, negotiate with governments that distrust one another and maintain confidence among both powerful states and vulnerable countries. The world does not need another voice of division. It needs a bridge builder.

Dr. Jonathan’s greatest asset is that he understands both sides of the global conversation. He knows the challenges facing developing nations because he comes from a continent where poverty, insecurity and institutional struggles remain daily realities. Yet he also understands international diplomacy, having interacted with global leaders and institutions throughout his political career.

For Africa, this opportunity is too important to ignore. The continent has long argued that it deserves a stronger voice in global governance. Africa has contributed enormously to United Nations peacekeeping operations, provided troops to conflict zones and carried the burden of many international humanitarian challenges. Yet it has often remained underrepresented in the highest decision-making positions of global institutions. Supporting Jonathan would therefore be more than supporting an individual Nigerian. It would be Africa asserting its readiness to provide leadership when the world desperately needs it.

President Tinubu has the responsibility to begin this process. Nigeria’s foreign policy machinery must immediately engage the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States, regional powers and strategic partners across the world. Abuja must build consensus among African leaders and then present a united African voice to the wider UN membership.

The campaign will not be easy. The United Nations system is shaped by complex diplomatic interests. The five permanent members of the Security Council — the United States, China, Russia, France and the United Kingdom — will have significant influence over the process. Other regional blocs and UN member states will also have their interests and considerations. That is precisely why Nigeria must act early, strategically and confidently. President Tinubu has often spoken of Nigeria reclaiming its rightful place in global affairs. There can be no better demonstration of that ambition than leading a campaign for an African Secretary-General whose personal story embodies peace, democracy and reconciliation.

This is also an opportunity for Nigeria to rise above domestic political divisions. Dr. Jonathan’s candidacy should not be viewed through the narrow lens of party politics. His democratic legacy belongs to Nigeria in its entirety. His peace efforts belong to Africa. His experience belongs to the international community.

A country’s influence is not measured only by its economy or military strength. It is also measured by the quality of leaders it produces and the causes it chooses to champion. Nigeria has produced a former president who became globally respected not because he held on to power at all costs, but because he understood when national interest demanded sacrifice. That lesson is perhaps the greatest qualification Jonathan will brings to the United Nations. The world today needs a Secretary-General who understands that peace is not weakness, that compromise is not surrender and humility is not a lack of strength. It needs someone who has already demonstrated, in the most difficult political circumstances, that human lives matter more than personal ambition. Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has lived that principle.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu now has the opportunity to convert that legacy into a global mission. By championing Jonathan’s candidacy for Secretary-General of the United Nations, Tinubu would not simply be supporting a former Nigerian President. He would be advancing Africa’s voice, strengthening Nigeria’s diplomatic standing and offering the world a leader whose greatest qualification is his commitment to peace. Africa must not wait for history to choose its moment. Nigeria must create it for the world. And President Tinubu must do this for Africa.

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