Memory of Maitama Sule will last long —Gen Olanrewaju

FORMER Minister of Communications, General Tajudeen Olanrewaju, on Tuesday expressed sadness at the passing of the former Nigerian representative to the United Nations, Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule, who died in Cairo, the Egyptian capital at the age of 87, saying the memory of the late envoy would remain with Nigeria and the global community due to his tremendous contributions to national and global peace and security.

This was just as Olanrewaju recalled the diplomatic shuttle he undertook with the late envoy together former National Security Adviser (NSA), Alhaji Gwarzo, which led to the Abacha government commuting death sentence of then former Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo (Rtd), to 25 years imprisonment.

Olanrewaju said this on Tuesday in Lagos in a statement personally signed, describing the late Maitama Sule as a man imbued with tremendous qualities whose death he maintained was a rude shock as he (deceased) was active till he bid the world bye.

“In all, I would say that the death of Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Sule is a rude shock to me because he was active till the point he died. He will be missed by Nigeria as a whole,” he said.

Speaking on the diplomatic shuttle that led to the commuting of Obasanjo’s death sentence, General Olanrewaju said the Maitama Sule led delegation of which he was a part had gone to Switzerland to meet with American delegation comprising Ambassador McHenry, then Assistant Secretary of State on Security, Susan Rice and Assistant Secretary of State on Africa, George Moose sent by then United States’ President Bill Clinton, demanding the release of the trio of General Olusegun Obasanjo, General Shehu Yar’Adua and Alhaji MKO Abiola.

“At the end of our meeting with the American team, Nigeria never lost but gained. Based on our discussion with them at that meeting, the Federal Government at that time swung into action by commuting the death sentence particularly on General Obasanjo to 25 years imprisonment and were considering that of Yar’Adua and Abiola but I cannot tell all the stories here.

“What is important is, we commuted Obasanjo’s death sentence to 25 years imprisonment and he was on that when I had crisis and didn’t know what happened thereafter,” Olanrewaju said.

While paying glowing tribute to the late Maitama Sule, the former communication minister, said Olanrewaju said the late Ambassador Maitama Sule deployed his maturity, age, experience and leadership being a seasoned diplomat in getting the America to listen and was, therefore, able to present Nigeria’s position clearly, unambiguously on the country’s national interest, among others.

“And being a seasoned diplomat, Ambassador Maitama Sule used his maturity, age, experience and leadership in getting the America to listen and was, therefore, able to present Nigeria’s position clearly, unambiguously on our national interest and the rest of that,” he said.