Lagos — African leaders rarely give cause for joy to their people. We are used to seeing Presidents for life, even when the governed have been reduced to paupers. Our leaders equate their persons with the state, and instead of working for the common good, they work for their personal good.

Former President's Thebo Mbeki's action is like a breath of fresh air to black Africa which has been traumatized by crises. A few African leaders have gracefully bowed out of power -Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Amadou Ahidjo of Cameroun, Sedar Senghor of Senegal, and of course, Nelson Mandela's decision in 1999 to handover to a younger person. Mbeki's decision to obey his party by bowing out of power without rancour or bloodshed is gratifying. It shows that he is a gentleman and a statesman.

We must recall that Nigeria's political problems began with our inability to play by the rules. The consequence has been the inability of the political class to articulate an ideological basis for rulership.

We have in Africa, many leaders who have total contempt for the constitution and the rule of law. Their contempt extends to the populace for who they care little about. They are more concerned with the paraphernalia of power and the material benefits accruing therefrom.

President Mbeki stepped into the shoes of the great Nelson Mandela. In the nearly ten years that he was in power, he positively impacted on the people of South Africa. That country has maintained an average economic growth of about 6 per cent yearly, a strong job creation policy, high foreign investments and entrenched laudable fiscal policies which have made the inflation rate manageable in an emerging market.

Despite the laudable statistics on economic performance, Mbeki had his short-comings, particularly his early stance on the AIDS scourge in his country. He was viewed as being autocratic and aloof. These two traits cost him the support of his party elite and the poor.

But despite his short comings he earned the respect of the international community as a statesman. His diplomacy has for now, prevented a civil war in Zimbabwe. For us here in Nigeria, Mbeki has provided an example we expect to see in a country serious about entrenching the democratic ethos.

He could have clung to power by engineering violence and using strong-arm tactics against his opponents or he could have been engaged in a protracted and bruising legal battle to frustrate the demands of his party and or remain in power till the end of his term. His action has shown that indeed Africans can place the nation before self. He has shown that politics and political office is not 'a do or die affair."

Mbeki's resignation is an exhibition of political wisdom and maturity. It is a positive political legacy for the black race. For us here in Nigeria the lessons to be learnt from his action are numerous. Key among them is respect for constitution and institutions.

In nearly fifty years of Nigeria's independence, it is not yet uhuru for the masses. We have been unable to institute systems that will yield better life for our citizens. Even the institutions and systems we inherited from our colonial experience have been run down. Despite our huge natural endowments we are still rated among poor countries. We have been successful in setting objectives that are never met. For those who can remember, the golden age of Nigeria was the few years after independence when the pioneering leaders showed promise and there was the belief that Nigeria would lead Africa.

We challenge our politicians to take the lessons from South Africa seriously. They have shown that given the chance, democracy works.