The world woke up on the morning of Saturday 4th of June to the sad news of the demise of one of the greatest legends that ever lived, the man Muhammad Ali; a man revered and celebrated by all, not just for his prowess in the field of boxing but because of his humor, wit, humility and leadership qualities. A true leader he truly was.
As Nigerians, Muhammad Ali exemplifies qualities we should wish to imbibe; qualities that defined him; qualities that made him the great man we all remember him to have been; qualities that if imbibed, would make Nigeria great.
Here are 10 qualities that defined Muhammad Ali as the man he was:
- VISION: Muhammad Ali had a vision of where he was going. He was already calling himself the greatest long before he became the greatest.
- HUMANITARIAN: Muhammad had a great love for the people and because of that the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards were instituted in 2013.
- CHAMPION: He successfully against all odds rose to the pinnacle of his career. He had an unprecedented record of 56 wins to 5 losses
- DEDICATION: He never wavered from a path when he set his sights on a goal, he was well known for his dedication to causes he set his sight on.
- COURAGE: Mr Ali was bold as a lion; always ready to face any challenge head on and usually came out on top. Nobody ever expected a young 22-year-old Ali to defeat the fearsome and hard hitting Sonny Liston, but that’s exactly what he did. In the face of adversity, Mohammed Ali was always unflinching.
- CONVICTIONS: He was a man that had convictions and he stood by them irrespective of whose ox was gored. He was even jailed and banned for his convictions.
- CHARISMA: Although he was in a very tough profession, people from all works of life irrespective of age, race, creed or nationality liked him. He was a unifier. It was said the Nelson Mandela called Ali his hero.
- SELF-SACRIFICING: He was a man who spent his time in the cause of others, even after he retired he donated most of his time to various charitable causes and humanitarian mission around the world.
- HUMILITY: Even after achieving feats that only a few people have ever achieved, he still remained a simple man, a very approachable individual, a family man, who went around the world inspiring people to great things.
- INTELLIGENCE: He was well known for his wit, humour and wisdom. He had a penchant for poetry and his readiness with a pithy quote delighted some and made others squirm. From his speeches you could see an intelligent and well-read individual.
Though he is gone, his memory would always remain. Adieu Mohammed Ali.
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