REMEMBERING GEORGE SHULTZ

Some men are born great. Some have greatness trusted upon them. Neither principle applies to George Shultz. I am unwilling to accept the proposition that someone who went through Princeton for his Bachelor's Degree, MA and PhD from MIT had greatness trusted upon him or that he was born into greatness. Mr. George Shultz sewed seeds and made sacrifices, and greatness came upon him unsolicited based on the contents of his character. 

I share this story, not because Mr. Shultz was the American Secretary of the Treasury. And certainly not because he was the Secretary of State. I did because he was a great man, a colossus on the global stage of diplomacy who perfected integrating compassion, love, and humanity, and immersion of wisdom into a negotiation, without undermining the national interest of the guy at the other end of the table. 

He brought energy to his job. He was more powerful than the government he served - not in the negative sense. He projected truth. And he projected trust. Terms like Strategic Defense Initiative and Integration of Force and Diplomacy were given life during his term as US Secretary of State.  He was President Nixon's Secretary of the Treasury (Minister of Finance) and Chairman of the Council on Economic Policy. He was appointed Secretary of State by President Reagan. 

He was neither the gregarious Alexander Haig nor the conservative ideological leaning Henry Kissinger, he wasn't about left or right, socialism versus capitalism, or liberalism versus regulated markets. He was simply human - a scholar, an academic, searching for and negotiating common ground to broker workable peace. It was about what is good for mankind. Indeed, he was a gift to America and Ambassador to the whole world. I would add that his groundwork led to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the dismantling of the Berlin Wall. 

Working with Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger and President Reagan on the one hand and Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze and Soviet President Mr. Gorbachev they signed a landmark arms control agreement, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 1987. Mr. Shultz wanted you to embrace democracy, certainly not by compulsion or tying conditions into it. 

According to Henry Kissinger former Secretary of State, "If I could choose one American to whom I would entrust the nation's fate in a crisis, it would be George Shultz. Reading his book "Turmoil and Triumph: My Years as Secretary of State," all I could see was a man who brought his classroom before the global audience - making friends, lecturing, negotiating deals, and standing for what is noble and male the world a better place. And most often, I would pause and ask myself, why am I not like him and how do I equip myself to be able to carry the global burden on my shoulder without feeling the pain or complaining? 

Reading his book prompted me to buy "Work Hard, Study ... Keep Out of Politics: Adventure and Lesson from an Unexpected Public Life" by James A. Baker III, another giant in American foreign affairs. Reading their works, you could feel the compassion, seriousness, and authenticity they brought to the negotiation table. 

Nigeria had numerous of George Shultz, who, sadly, didn't make it to the global stage in our foreign affairs. Notably, Professor Claude Ake, Professor Eme Awa, Professor Ojetunji Aboyade, Dr Akinola Aguda, and Dr Stanley Macebuh. They were not only intellectually gifted but unapologetically forthright. Except for Dr. Akinola Aguda who was appointed Chief Justice of the nation of Botswana and Lesotho. 

May the soul of Mr. George Shultz rest in peace.