Founded by the late American civil rights leader, Dr Martin Luther King, in January 1957, the SCLC is currently led by Dr Charles Steele. As part of the activities leading up to the celebration of Dr Martin Luther King Day on Monday, January 18, 2016, the SCLC decided to honour Dr Jonathan for his role in ensuring there was a peaceful transition of power in Nigeria in last year's presidential elections.
Dr Jonathan, who was received by Dr Martin Luther King’s sister, Naomi during the event, is the first African leader to be so honoured. His role in relinquishing power and conceding defeat to President Muhammadu Buhari after the last election, marking the first time an incumbent government has been defeated in a Nigerian presidential election, is what earned Dr Jonathan the award.
Before the event, Dr Jonathan met privately with Dr Steele, who agreed to work with the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation to advance the cause of peace around the world and to bridge the gap between black people in the diaspora and Africa. Dr Jonathan responded that his vision is to help stabilise and promote democracy and peace in Africa, adding that without peace you cannot have economic progress.
According to Dr Jonathan, this was the reason he pushed for Nigeria’s intervention to ensure peace in various African nations such as Côte d’Ivoire while he was in office. Dr Jonathan expressed his gratitude to the SCLC for inviting him and declared that it was virtually impossible to separate this worthy body from its founder, or from epoch making landmark events of the American civil rights movement.
Dr Jonathan said: “My personal takeaway from Dr Martin Luther King Jr, is service to God and the brotherhood and equality of all men before their creator. In keeping with that, I have learnt not to look up to any man, except he is taller than I, or to look down on a fellow mortal, except I am admiring his shoes.
"I thank the SCLC, for inviting and honouring me today and especially so, as this invitation comes right about the period when the world stands still in recognition of the selfless sacrifice of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. The SCLC and Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s principles of non violent protests played a great part in the independence movement in my native country Nigeria and indeed throughout Africa as a whole."
He also commended Dr Steele for his leadership and commitment to peace and justice nationally and globally. Dr Martin Luther King Jr witnessed the British Union Jack being lowered in Ghana in 1957 when Ghana became the first sub-Saharan African nation to gain independence, which set off a positive chain reaction all over the continent.
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