Goodluck Jonathan has failed to
clinch the prestigious $5 million Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African
Leadership despite meeting a key criterion.
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation, which
instituted the prize, said on Thursday that no former African leader met the
requirements for the 2015 version of the yearly award.
Namibia's former president was named winner of the the world's richest award that has seen
a dearth of worthy candidates, for "good
governance" in Africa, last year.
Hifikepunye Pohamba, 79, is only the
fourth winner of the $5 million annual prize, launched in 2007 with the aim of
encouraging and rewarding good governance across a continent where the likes of
Nelson Mandela -- who bowed out gracefully from office -- remain the exception.
While elections are now the rule in
Africa, many leaders seek to force through constitutional changes in order to
stay in power, sometimes well into old age, while others die in office or are
forced to flee.
The prize, which was instituted in
2006 by Sudanese telecoms entrepreneur, Mo Ibrahim, rewards former African
leaders who demonstrated sterling qualities while in office.
The prize rewards democratically
elected ex-leaders who left office in the last three years; served their
constitutionally mandated term; and demonstrated exceptional leadership.
The prize also “showcases unsung
heroes of the African continent; recognises African leaders who have dedicated
their tenure of office to developing their countries, improving the welfare and
livelihoods of their people and paving the way for sustainable development;
offers opportunities for leaders who have left national office to continue in
other public roles across the continent; encourages the engagement of African
citizens in the leadership debate.
The award is also “a standard
for excellence in leadership in Africa, and not a ‘first prize’, there is not
necessarily a Laureate every year,” the foundation said.
The seven-man panel said in a
statement that no African leader met its requirements.
The democratic credentials of former
President Goodluck Jonathan have been globally celebrated and received yet
another boost with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in
the United States recognizing him as the leader that provided the best
moments for democracy in Africa in 2015.
In its “The Year in Review” report
for 2015, the Center in March 2016 highlighted Nigeria’s 2015 elections
and praised Jonathan’s classy role in ensuring a smooth transfer of power
in Nigeria which “became a big confidence boost for Africa’s mass
movements for democracy.”
Apart from Jonathan, who left office
in May 2015, another former African leader who quit in the last three years is
Yayi Boni of Benin Republic.
A winner enjoys $5m over 10 years and
another $200,000 yearly for life. A winner can also ask for another $200,000
for good causes he or she supports.
So far, only the former presidents of
Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano; Botswana’s Festus Mogae; Namibia’s Hifikepunye
Pohamba; and Pedro Piers of Cape Verde have clinched the award.
Ex-South African President Nelson
Mandela was awarded an honorary prize in 2007.
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