Half a century ago, on 19th February 1967 to be specific, Ambassador Isa Wali, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Ghana, left us suddenly without saying good-bye. Today, we remember with pride that he left us, not in utter nakedness, as when he was born, but clothed in trailing clouds of glory. It is our memory of him of a life well spent for others that has brought us together today, to honour this most illustrious citizen, and remind ourselves that life is measured and assessed, not by its longevity, but how well it was lived.
And so, who exactly was Ambassador Isa Wali?
Usually in life, only deeds (good or bad) are remembered, long after we ourselves are dead and utterly forgotten. But what is extraordinary about the late Ambassador Isa Wali is that his deeds or legacy, and the man himself are inextricably intertwined and inseparable; but why? Because he himself was unforgettable, by virtue of his infectious humility and the way his deeds of kindness touched many lives.
An encounter with the late Ambassador Isa Wali left you aglow, as if you have been touched by the wings of a passing Angel. Indeed, he must be numbered among those immortals in history, of whom the English Poet Henry Wordsworth Longfellow wrote:
“Lives of great men all remind us,
We can all make our lives sublime;
And departing, leave behind us
Our footprints on the sands of time”.
Ambassador Isa Wali was, physically, not a giant of a man, although his presence radiated seismic gravitas. He was also not a war hero or a great statesman in political terms. Indeed, as a diplomat he served as Ambassador and Head of Mission in only one mission – Accra, Ghana. What made his ambassadorial tenure trailblazing must therefore be examined against the background of the intense political rivalry then subsisting between Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa’s Nigeria and Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s Ghana in the early sixties.
Dr. Nkrumah regarded Nigeria as an impediment to his delusionary dream to become the undisputed leader of Africa; never mind that Ghana, both in population and size, was only about one tenth of Nigeria. Towards that end, he embarked on a series of subversive activities to destabilize Nigeria. This posed the most existential threat to Nigeria’s political stability, and its rightful claim to the leadership of Africa.
Ambassador Isa Wali, as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Ghana, orchestrated and led the diplomatic manoeuvers to challenge and outflank Dr. Nkrumah at every turn. In frustration, Dr Nkrumah resorted to the mistreatment and persecution of Nigerians in Ghana, who at this time numbered in excess of 250,000. Large numbers of them were capriciously retrenched from the Ashanti and Obuasi goldmines without benefit. Undaunted and without flinching, Ambassador Isa Wali stood in the gap for Nigeria, by making the well-being of Nigerians in Ghana his foremost diplomatic priority, and in this he was highly successful.
Indeed, it can be said, that the concept of “citizen’s diplomacy” as an integral and tangible aspect of Nigeria’s Foreign Policy, began with Isa Wali. It instilled hope and confidence in Diaspora Nigerians in Ghana, and made them feel that they were not a forgotten race.
As High Commissioner, he was extraordinarily passionate to visit and know how Nigerians in Ghana lived among their host communities. Week after week, he left the comfort of Accra to visit Nigerians in their diverse communities and it didn’t matter that there were only 20 or 100 Nigerians there. On arrival, he would greet each out-stretched hand with both hands hug them in tight embrace while his eyes gleamed with pure joy. He was their “Big Brother”. Each poor and impoverished looking person, received cash, which he dug from his deep pocket and gave out generously, without counting how much he gave out. He never once claimed “miscellaneous or traveling expenses” on his return to Accra.
His attitude towards Ghanaians also came gift-wrapped in friendship and high esteem, and this at a time Dr. Nkrumah was less than friendly towards Nigerians. Indeed, ordinary Ghanaians equally reciprocated with much love and friendship, and the news of his death was received by Ghanaians with much public grief and genuine regret. Indeed, had he died in Accra, Ghanaians would have, without doubt, accorded him something close to a state funeral.
When by the grace of God, I succeeded him ten years later as High Commissioner, Ghanaians remembered that I had been with the great Ambassador Isa Wali, and all access and hospitality doors, were thrown open for me.
Ambassador Isa Wali’s acts of goodness and generosity are too many to be listed here. It is comforting to see that his amazing and gifted children (retired Major-General Yaro Wali, Mrs. Fatima Abdurrahman, Mrs. Mariam Uwais, MFR and Mrs. Hadiza Wali-Oniyangi) have continued his legacy of acts of public charity and philanthropy, through the Isa Wali Empowerment Initiative Foundation, whose mantra is service to the weak and economically under-privileged; assisting primarily women and children.
Ambassador Isa Wali was unique in many ways. At the time of his appointment as High Commissioner to Ghana in 1963 at the age of 35, he was the youngest Nigerian diplomat to be appointed as an ambassador. Incidentally, he was also the first Nigerian career Ambassador, in the history of the Nigerian diplomatic service, to have died at post. It has been said by the ancients, that stars differ from stars in splendor and that those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars, will forever shine!
Of the many bright stars that adorn the pantheon of past great Nigerian ambassadors, Ambassador Isa Wali stands out as Shakespeare’s “constant Northern Star, of whose true fixed and resting quality, there is no fellow in the firmament!” He was gentle and mild, but firm in upholding truth and justice. In life, he embraced and personified those eternal virtues that do not fade away or die-selfless love, humanity, righteousness, fairness, honesty, integrity, and above all, he was robustly and proudly a Nigerian patriot.
As is sadly the case in our nation today, and I might add to our shame, our National Pledge to ensure that, “the labours of our heroes past shall never be in vain”, is honoured more in the breach, than in the observance. Ambassador Isa Wali died in the course of duty; without being honoured by the government he served so well. It is time to rectify this anomaly; and to mark this Golden Jubilee anniversary of his death, we appeal to the government to honour him by renaming a major street in Abuja, Ambassador Isa Wali Street. Let’s now collectively resolve and ensure that this happens; not only for the sake of Ambassador Isa Wali, but also for the sake of all our tomorrows.
However, whether the powers that be, or we ourselves, respond positively to these appeals or not, Ambassador Isa Wali’s place in history is assured and secure, because of the enduring legacy he left behind. Like most of the great immortals in history, the virtues he embodied and personified, which are eternal in themselves, will make a mockery of those who belittle his achievement and refuse to honour him in death.
Somewhere, in a valley among the rolling green fields of Southern England, at Stratford -upon-Avon, William Shakespeare lies buried. The be-spoke epitaph on the tomb-stone above his grave could, with equal validity, be also applied to Ambassador Isa Wali:
“His life was gentle,
And the elements so mixed in him;
That Nature might stand up
And say to all the world,
This was a Man!”
Keynote address by Ambassador Sagay, a retired diplomat, at the 50th memorial lecture in honour of the late Ambassador Isa Wali last Sunday in Abuja
