Today, Jimmy Carter, the United States’ 39th president, turns 100. Happy birthday to a great man. He was president from 1976 to 1980.
To be 100 years is remarkable. Only 0.03% of the US population are over 100 years old and 78% of them are women.
Carter is also the first US president to get to be a Hundred years old and the longest-living former US president.
President Carter has been a blessing to Nigeria. He and his organisation, the Carter Foundation have been working in Nigeria and leading the fight against river blindness. Actually, they are winning the war with many states in Nigeria are now free from this dreaded disease.
Since 1988, The Carter Center and its partners including Nigeria’s Ministry of Health have collaborated to eliminate diseases like Guinea worm trachoma, lymphatic filariasis and river blindness. They have achieved a lot of success as whole states have become free from some of these diseases. I was privileged to work on grants from Chevron Nigeria Limited to the Carter Foundation for some of these projects.
President Jimmy Carter’s stature continued to grow bigger after leaving office. Using the Carter Foundation and Habitat for Humanity as his platforms for engagement, he continued to impact lives, support public health and build homes. He also continued to work on Nation building initiatives and continued his search for global peace.
In 2002, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his “decades of untiring efforts” in finding “peaceful solutions to international conflicts, advancing democracy and human rights, and promoting economic and social development.”
Only three US presidents have won the Nobel prize for Peace. (President Woodrow Wilson won in 1920, and President Barack Obama won in 2009. Vice President Al Gore won in 2007.). But President Carter is the only one to win the prize after leaving office.
President Carter is a testament that there is life after office. He has shown that former officials can continue to add value to society as long as they alive. He has also shown that you can be a good man as a political leader.
Jimmy Carter has also taught us about staying married. He was married for 77 years — the longest married couple in presidential history. (The late George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush were married for 73 years). Sadly, his wife, Rosalynn Carter, died in November 2023 at 96 years old. The Carters are a model of marital commitment.
Happy Birthday to President Jimmy Carter. You are a blessing to many nations.
