The northern socio-political organisation, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and Kaduna based civil rights activist, Mallam Shehu Sani has described South Africa’s first black President, Nelson Mandela, as embodiment of peace, reconciliation and forgiveness.

In separate statements made available to CEOAFRICA news, they said that Africa and indeed the world will miss the leadership quality of the anti-apartheid icon who spent 27 years in prison, fighting to free South African blacks from slavery.

The ACF in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Anthony Sani , said, “the departure of a freedom fighter, global icon for forgiveness and unprecedented transition from tyranny to non-racial democracy is capable of ushering a global despair, disillusionment and agony.

 It added that the late Mandela showed that we can make the most of our God-given diversity by working hard to overcome what divide the people in favour of core value of humanity that unite us.

The President of Civil Rights Congress, Sani said the news of Mandela’s death was a painful one, adding that Africa, the black race and all freedom loving people of the world have lost a revolutionary icon.