Our world today is proliferated with many great minds, but some have endeared themselves to the hearts of the general populace not only in their respective countries but all over the world, by the good and humanitarian work they do in order to make the world a better place to live in;. People like Mahatma Gandhi, Obafemi Awolowo, Nelson Mandela, et al. And it seems to me that there is a general pattern in life they tread to achieve the “People’s Man” status. (1) They were all fighting for one cause or the other; (2) They were harassed, beaten and imprisoned; (3) And they were easily and readily forgiving, to mention but a few of the qualities of these set of people.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has come a long way. From a humble background, a boy hawking on the streets of Istanbul to earn extra money, while in university studying Business Administration, he ventured into Politics by joining National Turkish Student Union (an anti-communist action group), he later joined the Islamist National Salvation Party in 1976 and he rose to the position of Chair for the Istanbul youth branch of the party. He became Mayor of Istanbul in 1994. His records during and after his tenure as Mayor of Istanbul earned him the UN-HABITAT Award. He was jailed in 1998 for reciting a poem the government considered to be anti-state. He has being the Prime Minister of Turkey since 2003 to date.
What motivates me to write about him is not what he has been able to achieve but the humanitarian relief he is providing for the people of the neighboring war-torn Syria. The Syrian government tyrannically kills its people all for a mere expression of their wish. The right to freedom of expression that is internationally acknowledged is now a criminal offence in many Arab countries. But the world is blessed to have Erdogan in the midst of these cruel leaders to provide solace for Syrian people. Aside from openly criticizing the Syrian government, he opens his door and invites Syrians to take refuge in his country and also provides humanitarian relief for them.
Posterity does not fail to recognize any humanitarian effort, even if minute. The world sees and notices the huge responsibility Erdogan is putting on his shoulders. He has written his name on the sands of time. I congratulate him for his re-election; this goes to show that his people believe in him. He is a HERO.
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