Founding President Dr. Sam Nujoma will be remembered for having paved the way for Namibians to join the struggle for independence.

In remembering the late Nujoma's accomplishment, the Governor of the Zambezi Region said Namibia's freedom came at a hefty price.

Lawrence Sampofu described the Founding President as a leader who not only mobilised and lobbied for Namibia's independence but also prioritised peace and unity in an independent Namibia, referencing the introduction of the national reconciliation policy after independence and the foundation it continues to have.

"We were so divided, but he mobilised; he made sure that everyone was on board so that we didn't fight each other after getting our independence so that we united and reconciled with one another. If there is any sector where reconciliation worked mostly well, it's in the armed forces, and where we, the Plan Commandants and SWADF soldiers, were mobilised in a formidable way and put up one Namibian Defence Force. We had weapons that we could face each other with, but through reconciliation, he made sure that no one fought or shot one another. It worked so very well in the armed forces; up to now, we have a formidable defence force."

During the liberation struggle, Sampofu recalled how the Founding President went on to lobby for the world's support in Namibia's efforts for liberation, stating that it was through those efforts he was able to meet fellow icons who shared the same vision of an independent Africa.

"He met the icons like Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, and Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya, and in Nigeria and Egypt, Algeria, and Ghana—all these icons he met. Even the forming up of the OAU, the Organisation for African Unity, he was there with these leaders, so he is the last one to pass on now. The others have already gone, and these leaders all went over 90 years. We remember Nelson Mandela, who passed on at 95, Mugabe at 95, Kenneth Kaunda at 97, and Julius Nyerere also over 90, so he's the last icon to see that colonialism is buried in Africa."

Sampofu asked fellow Namibians to continue keeping the peace and unity while also keeping the various cultures, traditions, and values among Namibians alive in his memory as someone who always believed that a nation without culture is like a dream without roots.