A consultant to the African Union, Dr. Nii Alabi, has described the death of the former Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi as �unfortunate� calling him an �iconic figure�� of Africa.
According to Dr. Alabi, Col. Gaddafi was one of the few African leaders who could stand up to the Western nations and tell them in the face how they have been unfair in treating Africa.
Official reports from the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) have confirmed that the nation�s beleaguered leader has been killed on the streets of his hometown, Sirte, in Libya.
Gaddafi is reported to have died of wounds he sustained Thursday dawn from fighters who battled him for eight-month to overthrow his regime.
Meanwhile, Dr. Alabi has told Citi News the death of Gaddafi, if proven to be true will mean Africa has lost one of its iconic figures who symbolises the proud moments of the continent.
�I think it is just unfortunate that one of the iconic figures, and I am using iconic advisedly because he has symbolised some of the proud moments of Africa by daring the West, telling them to the face that they have not treated us well even though his terrorist credentials cannot be something I would ever subscribe to,� Dr. Alabi said.
�Having said that I think for Africa, we have lost somebody, who tried to say that yes I love this continent.
�Gaddafi symbolised a lot of things but his stand for the United States of Africa is something that Kwame Nkrumah stood for, is something that really endeared him to many other Pan-Africanists,� he added.
Col Gaddafi, who was wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of ordering the killing of civilians, was toppled by rebel forces on August 23 after a 42-year-rule over the oil-producing North African state.
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