Jimmy Carter, first US President to visit Nigeria dies at 100

Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, has passed away at the age of 100. He died peacefully on Sunday in Plains, Georgia, surrounded by his loved ones.

Carter, who served from 1977 to 1981, was a trailblazer in many ways. He was the first U.S. president to make a formal state visit to Sub-Sahara Africa and the first Naval Academy graduate to be elected to the White House.

Jimmy Carter visited Nigeria from March 31, to April 3, 1978. He also visited Liberia on the same trip.

“Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia,” the Carter Centre confirmed on X.

“There will be public observances in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., followed by a private interment in Plains, Georgia. The final arrangements for President Carter’s state funeral, including all public events and motorcade routes, are still pending. The schedule will be released by the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region,” the centre added in a press statement.

At 100, Carter, whose full name was James Earl Carter, Jr, was the third-oldest living person to have served as a state leader.

He was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for work to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.

His son, Chip Carter, remembered him as a hero who embodied peace, human rights, and unselfish love. “My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs,” he said.

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Carter’s legacy extends far beyond his presidency. He will be remembered for his humanitarian work, particularly through the Carter Center, which he founded with his wife Rosalynn in 1982. Presidential historian Robert Dallek noted that Carter will be remembered more for his post-presidential work than his time in office. “He’ll never be seen as a great president. But he will be seen as a great humanitarian,” Dallek said.

Carter is survived by his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. His wife, Rosalynn Carter, passed away on November 19, 2023. The couple had the longest marriage of any first couple in U.S. history, celebrating their 77th wedding anniversary in July.

According to official records of the White House,Jimmy Carter dealt with energy shortage in the United States by establishing a national energy policy and by decontrolling domestic petroleum prices to stimulate production. He prompted Government efficiency through civil service reform and proceeded with deregulation of the trucking and airline industries. He sought to improve the environment. His expansion of the national park system included protection of 103 million acres of Alaskan lands. To increase human and social services, he created the Department of Education, bolstered the Social Security system, and appointed record numbers of women, blacks, and Hispanics to Government jobs.