Former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has mourned ex-President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said: ‘’With heavy heart and profound sense of personal loss, I join millions of Nigerians and friends around the world to mourn the passing of former President Buhari.
‘’I extend my condolences to his beloved wife, Aisha, his children and his extended family. I also condole with the government and people of Katsina State, especially the Daura Emirate where ex-President Buhari’s journey in life began — a town whose name has become inextricably linked with his legacy.
‘’President Buhari’s record of service to Nigeria is almost unparalleled. From the battlefield to the ballot box, he stood as a sentinel of duty. As a military officer, Head of State and twice-elected President, he offered over five decades of his life to the service of our nation in times of strife and in peaceful times — guided always by a belief in discipline, integrity and nationhood.
‘’What often went unnoticed in public commentary was his commitment to the core values that bind any serious society: order, punctuality and accountability. He did not just talk about these values; he lived them. He was perhaps the most punctual public servant I ever encountered — never late to cabinet meetings, always respecting the time of others. It may seem a small thing, but in governance, it is everything. It sets a tone.
‘’He had a deep yearning for a society governed by rules, not by impulse. This found early expression in his War Against Indiscipline, a campaign often misread as rigid but rooted in a desire to rebuild a citizenry of order, courtesy and civic responsibility.
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‘’I feel privileged to have served in his cabinet — first in the consolidated Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, and later in the restructured Ministry of Works and Housing. President Buhari was not a man to micromanage; instead, he gave you the space and the trust to deliver. With that trust, however, came the highest expectations of discipline, results and honesty.
‘’He had a quiet strength. Yet, within and outside the cabinet, I witnessed his compassion — his deep concern for the poor, the pensioner, the soldier in the trenches, the almajiri child, and the underserved in every part of this country.
‘’Under his leadership, the nation confronted formidable challenges: insurgency, economic volatility, a global pandemic, and deep political tension. Yet he remained consistent — never ruled by noise or poll ratings, only by the burden of responsibility and his belief in posterity’s judgment.
His death marks the end of a defining chapter in Nigeria’s journey — one marked by sacrifice, moral, authority and patriotic resolve. But even in death, President Buhari leaves behind a living legacy: one of service above self, of discipline without drama, of truth without theatrics.
‘’May the Almighty Allah (SWT), whom he served with devotion and humility, forgive his shortcomings and grant him eternal rest in Aljannah Firdaus.’’