Long before he became Secretary-General of the United Nations, he had already exerted a scholarly influence on the progressive development of international law and diplomatic practice.
He played a laudable role in steering Egyptian diplomacy and state craft during the long reign of Mosni Mubarak.
Egypt’s international relations blossomed and Boutros Ghali played a major role in drafting the OAU charter. He earned his respect from leading African leaders like Kwame Nkrumah, Jomo Kenyalta Sekou Toure, who were leading light of the African revolution. Boutros Ghali argued passionately for the inclusion of the right of nations to self- determination up to independence, which acted as a catalyst to the independence Movement world-wide in the 1960’s.
Ghali was also instrumental in the drafting of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961 in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, UN Convention on the Law of Treaties, (1968) and other UN legislations.
In 1968, after I earned my Masters degree (COTLI CHEM) with Distinction from Kiev State University, Ukraine, I proceeded to The Hague Academy of International Law.
One of my Professors was Professor Dr. Boutros Boutros Ghali. He was eloquent and spoke learnedly.
In 1992, I taught “International Human Rights” Law, at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, USA, I visited the UN and gave my former Professor of International Law my book. He was hilarious and gave a warm and strong handshake. He said that “nothing pleases a teacher than to get a literary work endorsed to his teacher”.
He narrated the formidable obstacles he was encountering with the big powers on Rewanda Bosnis and Herzegvina and the Gulf states. He blamed the UN Security Council and the US and its diplomats for the ineffectiveness of the UN in the 1990’s.
Boutros Boutros Ghali had a sound all-round education in Paris which is a sine quoi non for solid performance. In Nigeria, the disastrous consequences of people with the wrong, irrelevant qualifications, who have damaged Nigeria has been laid bare to opprobum and ridicule. The “agbada” wearing Nigeria politician is always eager to step into high office but our political history show how low they have proved grossly inadequate to the determent of the nation (1960-2015).
Antonio Gaudy, the architect who built the Barcelona Cathedral had low opinion of those who were not qualified but pose as achievers.
One must be have relevant knowledge in a field to make a mark. Political pretenders to fame are empty vessels.
