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Tag: BUHARI

Muhammadu Buhari (1942 – 2025)
- Nigeria buries “the honest one,” in grand style
It was a historic triumph for Muhammadu Buhari, a retired general and former military head of state, when he was democratically elected President of Nigeria in 2015 after three unsuccessful attempts in 2003, 2007, and 2011. He achieved the feat following a significant merger of opposition parties leading to the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC). His victory, which reflected not only his resilience but also his irrepressible desire to make his country better, was even more notable because he had trumped the incumbent, Goodluck Jonathan – an unprecedented accomplishment in the country’s democratic history.

Interestingly, he first ruled Nigeria following a military coup that toppled a civilian democratic government headed by Shehu Shagari, in December 1983. This was just four years after the country returned to democracy in 1979, after 13 years of military rule. This military intervention involving Buhari ushered in another long period of military dictatorship that ended in 1999.

In his attempt to sanitise the country after a period of poor governance by civilian politicians, his regime, which lasted only about 20 months, was marked by draconian laws and human rights abuses — a common feature of military rule. He launched the War Against Indiscipline (WAI) in March 1984 to drive his corrective campaign. Things went awry in the ruling military body and he was removed in a palace coup led by Ibrahim Babangida in August 1985. He was detained in Benin City until 1988.

Born in Daura, in present-day Katsina State, Buhari was four years old when his father died. He entered the old Nigerian Military Training College (NMTC), renamed Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna, at the age of 19, in 1962. He also attended Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot, England. He fought on the federal side in the Nigerian Civil War (1967- 1970).

Under military rule, he served as governor of the North-Eastern State from August 1975 to February 1976. He was the first governor of Borno State in 1976 after the North-Eastern State was divided into three states, including Bauchi and Gongola (now Adamawa and Taraba states).

Read Also: 36 commissioners oppose Senate-proposed Electricity Act Amendment Bill

As a colonel, he was appointed Federal Commissioner for Petroleum and Natural Resources. He became chairman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation in 1977. During the Shagari presidency, he led the country’s troops in the Chadian-Nigerian War.

He was executive chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), an intervention agency set up by the Sani Abacha military regime in 1994. He held this position until 1999, when the agency was disbanded following the return of democratic rule.

His decision to enter civilian politics may well have been inspired by a sense of personal unfulfillment and a need to demonstrate that he could lead the country to a better place, considering that a coup had abruptly ended his first regime. However, his entry and self-projection as a reformed autocrat attracted criticism and rejection in some quarters.

Buhari’s two-term presidency as a converted democrat, from 2015 to 2023, had promised a three-pronged attack on corruption, insecurity, and poor infrastructure. His personal integrity was widely considered unassailable. Given his military background, he was expected to significantly improve security in the country. However, his administration tried its best but insecurity persisted until his exit in 2023. It is being battled by the present government.

But he made some impact in infrastructure. These included the Second Niger Bridge, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway reconstruction project, Abuja–Kaduna–Zaria–Kano Expressway reconstruction project, the Bodo–Bonny road and bridges project and Apapa–Oworonshoki–Ojota Expressway reconstruction project, among others. With regard to railway, we have Abuja–Kaduna railway project, Kaduna–Kano railway project, Port Harcourt–Aba railway rehabilitation, Lagos–Ibadan standard gauge railway and Kano-Maradi rail project, also among others.

Before he died from an undisclosed illness at a London hospital, on July 13, Buhari, 82, had been billed to attend the launch of a book on his tenure, scheduled for July 9 in Abuja. The author, Garba Shehu, served as his spokesperson for eight years. He could not be at the event because he was hospitalised abroad.

Ironically, his death was announced as excerpts from the book highlighting his life of service were published in local newspapers. A striking account in Shehu’s memoir, ‘According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesperson’s Experience,’ underlined Buhari’s reputation for incorruptibility.

The author narrated how “a delegation of the Board of Directors of the giant construction company, handling government contracts such as roads, railways, bridges and facilities management,” had visited Buhari at the State House, on November 6, 2015. He had told the delegation: “We have been informed that percentage cuts, 10 percent or more, are built into your contracts, to be shared among government leaders and civil servants. This must stop. We will not accept kickbacks…

“The added costs and all this padding must end. If we ask for quotations from you, tell us the actual cost that the project entails. No 10 percent, no added costs.”

According to Shehu, “No one in the room complained against his assessment, nor was there any dissent.”

Contradictorily, for instance, in April 2022, the Buhari administration had made a move that was widely seen as a corruption-friendly action. His government controversially listed a former governor of Taraba State, Rev. Jolly Nyame, and a former governor of Plateau State, Senator Joshua Dariye, among 159 people granted pardon and clemency. Nyame was serving a 12-year jail term; and Dariye was serving a 10-year jail term. Both men had been jailed for “criminal misappropriation, diversion of public funds, and criminal breach of public trust and misappropriation of public funds.” They were not expected to be set free without completing their prison terms. Their pardon was considered counter-productive, sending the wrong message to those who occupy high office in the country that corruption-related imprisonment can always be cancelled by the powers that be.

Buhari introduced a “first-of-its-kind” National Social Investment Programme (SIP) aimed at reducing social and economic inequality. In 2020, he launched a plan to “lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within the next 10 years.” Two years later, the national Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in November 2022, said 133 million Nigerians, over half of the population of Nigeria, were “multidimensionally poor,” and “three out of five Nigerians live in poverty.”

Towards the end of his second term, there was a currency crisis in the country after his administration tried to replace existing Naira notes with redesigned ones in November 2022. There was strong evidence of an untidy implementation, causing chaos, widespread hardship, and anger in the land. The Supreme Court faulted the Federal Government’s failure to obey its interim injunction that the old notes should remain legal tender until the conclusion of the case instituted by some states to challenge the naira swap policy. This was a violation of the separation of powers and the rule of law, the court said, stressing that under the country’s democratic system of government, the President or any other person could not vary an order of court. Apparently, Buhari was misadvised by both his attorney-general and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, and the then governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.

Importantly, Shehu noted that Buhari’s government “brought a new culture into government — a culture of personal integrity — and set new benchmarks in transparency with the institution of the treasury single account (TSA), tax identification number (TIN), bank verification number (BVN), IPPS, whistleblower; the usage of NIN number and the various other transparency-enhancing schemes.”

His personal magnetism, built on solid honour, was undeniable. He was a true folk hero, which explains the grassroots popularity he enjoyed – an invaluable political asset. His nickname, “Mai Gaskiya,” a Hausa phrase that translates to “the truthful one” or “the honest one,” was indeed a lesson in leadership.
July 18, 2025
The Buhari, Awujale in Babarinsa’s book

On Saturday, July 12, 2025, I reached the last page of ‘One Day and A Story: Reminiscences of an African Journalist’, Dare Babarinsa’s woven walk through newsrooms, nations, cities and nuances. The book contains memories that leave you sitting still for a moment, as though history itself had paused to breathe.

Had I been in Nigeria, the date would have been Sunday, July 13, a day that wrote itself into memory with unexpected weight. It was the day Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s immediate past president, and Oba Sikiru Adetona, the Awujale of Ijebuland, two men whose names walked through the pages I had just turned, took their final leave of the world.

Buhari, stoic, elusive, both soldier and statesman, ruled twice but healed little. For all the power he held, he could not build a hospital fit to mend his own breaking body. In the end, it was not Nigerian air that he last breathed. He passed, not in Daura or Abuja, but in a distant London ward wrapped in foreign sheets, in irony. His life, and the choices that shaped it, found no refuge in the nation he once commanded.

Babarinsa’s prose does not flatter nor flinch. In the chapters Buhari features in, the General emerges, not as saviour, but as shadow; an era of decree and fear, etched in the ink of a journalist’s memory.

Reading the book was like sitting the ghosts of headlines past, their truths still burning, their exits marked by the turning of a final page.

Babarinsa’s prose does not plead for forgiveness. It recalls Buhari’s years as a military dictator with unflinching detail, where the images are stern, the atmosphere heavy, and history uneasy. The legacy that emerges from the pages of the book is not heroic, but haunting; not golden, but grey.

The Awujale was a royal figure whose influence spanned generations, whose presence was larger than life. His was a different kind of authority, cultural, enduring, layered with tradition and contradiction.

Read Also: FG pledges to uphold Buhari’s legacy as Shettima, Sambo, others pay tribute in Daura

To finish Babarinsa’s book on the same weekend these two men exited the stage felt less like coincidence and more like history nudging gently at my shoulder, whispering that stories never truly end, but they fold, they echo and they wait.

And so I closed the book, not just on a life’s recollections, but on a moment suspended between memory and mortality, where words, like lives, leave marks long after the final breath.

The book recalls a time of fear and silence, when General Buhari ruled with a clenched fist and an unblinking stare. Buhari, Babarinsa recalls an interview with Dele Giwa in his time as Editor of Sunday Concord, had warned he would “tamper with the freedom of the press,” and he kept his promise with Decree 4, a law so cruel it punished the truth itself. Journalists were jailed for reports that embarrassed officials, whether true or not. The era was marked by tribunals that passed death sentences retroactively, by young men executed in the cold morning light, and by Fela Kuti being dragged before judges for carrying his own money and jailed for 25 years.

The book shows that even dictators can be betrayed. Buhari’s fall was a palace coup announced by crackling radio broadcasts, a promise that his stubborn rule was over. Into that vacuum walked Ibrahim Babangida, all charm and easy smiles.

The then Brigadier Joshua Dongoyaro, on Radio Nigeria, announced Buhari’s overthrow. “The concept of collective leadership has been substituted by stubborn and ill-advised unilateral actions, thereby destroying the principle upon which the government came to power,” Dongoyaro said.

Babarinsa remembers his first cover story for Newswatch: the execution of three young men found guilty of alleged drug trafficking by a military tribunal. Bartholomew Owoh (26), Bernard Ogedegbe (29), and Lawal Ojuolape (30) were shot at the shooting range of the Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison in Lagos. Their death sentences were handed down by a tribunal led by Justice Adebayo Desalu, assisted by four military and police officers. Despite widespread public outcry, the regime enforced the executions under a retroactive decree.

The author also recalls covering, in May 1985, the proceedings of the Exchange Control and Anti-Sabotage Tribunal (Lagos zone), presided over by Justice Oladipo Williams. At that tribunal, 26-year-old Gloria Ogbonna was sentenced to five years in prison for attempting to take $1,800, £16, and 2,700 Italian Lira out of Nigeria. In the same session, a British-Arab woman, Mehmet Bahia Bin Chambi, received a 42-year prison sentence for trying to export N98 million. She was additionally fined N98 million, while her companies and those of her business associates in Nigeria faced combined fines totaling N2.4 billion.

Before his removal, Buhari never advertised any plan to return the country to democratic rule. Babaginda endeared himself to the people: He freed Buhari’s political prisoners detained without trial, welcomed exiles back home, and surrounded himself with respected scholars, jurists, and poets. He made the country believe again. For those exhausted by Buhari’s repression, Babangida seemed like salvation itself. They fell for it. Journalists who had watched people rot in detention now praised the regime’s consultations and grand gestures. They wanted to believe in change, in a softer, more enlightened rule. But that promise ended in violence too, in betrayal sealed with a parcel bomb that killed Giwa and marked the decline of his baby, Newswatch.

The book also reminisces about Yorubaland, at a time kings clashed over memory and myth, over whether or not the race’s most important king is the Ooni or the Alaafin, and over whether Oyo or Ife is the race’s most important town. The Awujale distanced the Ijebu from Oyo and Ife. According to him, the Ijebu migrated from Whydah.

Babarinsa notes that Oba Adetona, once a close friend of Oba Sijuwade, felt the Ooni remained distant during his own troubles, when Governor Olabisi Onabanjo’s administration in Ogun State nearly deposed him during the Second Republic. In the years that followed, both the Alaafin and the Awujale became known for their sympathy toward the Modakeke people in their conflict with Ile-Ife.

My final take: Buhari and Oba Adetona gave what they could and left the rest to history’s judgment. But, unlike the Oba, Buhari held our commonwealth in his hands; he was a steward of our nation’s hopes and fortunes. It is thus no surprise that Nigerians are sifting through the records of his years in power, weighing promises against outcomes. And there is little doubt now: whatever he intended as his best fell painfully short of what the country needed.

July 18, 2025
Lessons we can learn from former President Buhari’s life
- By Muhammad Ali Pate
Former President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, died on July 13, 2025, leaving a legacy of service and dedication to the pristine values of discipline, hard work, and honesty.

In no small measure, the outpouring of eulogies from leaders across the world attests to former President Buhari’s stature as a significant and well-respected leader. He lived an eventful life hedged around sacred principles. He lived and died an honourable man.

It was deeply stirring to see hundreds of people withstand hours of heat on the roadsides — from Katsina to Daura — to say their goodbyes to Mai Gaskiya.

But there seems to be a very small but vocal minority who, despite the solemnity of the occasion, has tried to diminish the place of President Buhari in the pantheon of Nigeria’s remarkable leaders. To those on this foolhardy pursuit, I say, as the pages of Nigeria’s history are written in the future, President Buhari’s name will remain indelible.

To those, who are concerned about extracting political tolls from President Buhari’s passing, I suggest they should rather take lessons of leadership from his life – a man who rose from humble beginnings, spent his life in service of the motherland, embodying uncommon integrity and earning the love and admiration of his people.

It is my opinion that the vital lessons from Muhammadu Buhari’s eventful journey through life include:

Read Also: Buhari’s words guided my actions as Speaker- Abbas

The foundation of enduring leadership is authenticity. There was clear consistency with President Buhari in all seasons. He was unpretentious, frugal, reserved, humble, and honest. He did not pretend to be what he was not. Some people liked him, and some did not. He was consistently loyal to Nigerians – both high and low.

Character moulded by self-discipline provided the scaffolding for Buhari’s courage and conviction. He was known as a disciplined man, exemplifying integrity in all its ramifications. This rare quality fortified him against multiple personal and political shocks. Many Nigerians know that, as President, Muhammadu Buhari always acted in what he considered to be the best interest of the country. This character trait was demonstrated across his public service stints — from the military to political office, and even after office.

Buhari understood leadership as stewardship. This was reflected in his consistent respect for institutions and established processes. The structure of his administration remained relatively stable for eight years. While some may accuse him of being slow in making decisions, President Buhari was evidently a stickler for due process. When his time in office was up, he retired happily to Daura to live among his people and tend his farm. In many ways, similar to the Roman General, Cincinnatus (BC), who served the public when warranted and immediately returned home afterwards to his farm.

It is evident that Muhammadu Buhari did not take life too seriously. He was fully conscious of the ephemerality of life. He had no appetite for material things. He did not have dozens of houses, business interests, exotic clothing, and items. He lived a decent life. He laughed well at himself and shared joy and laughter with many.

There are many more lessons to be taken from the late former President’s life.

At this time of national mourning, in consonance with His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu’s directive on praying and reflecting on Buhari’s life, we will all be served well if we reflect on and imbibe the lessons from the life of the beloved departed leader. Of course, Muhammadu Buhari has his many failings, as any man does. Perfection is with God and it is best to leave final judgement to Him.

May Allah SWT forgive and grant President Muhammadu Buhari aljannah firdaus. May the family he left behind be blessed. May Allah continue to strengthen and guide President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. May Allah SWT bless Nigeria, unite us all, and give us a fine conclusion, Amin.
- Pate is Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare
July 18, 2025
Buhari’s integrity excites Braithwaite family

The family of the late legal luminary and former presidential candidate of the Nigeria Advance Party (NAP) in the 1983 general elections, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, has expressed its condolences over the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

In a statement on behalf of the family, Olumide Braithwaite, a former spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 presidential campaign, extended “deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathy to the family, loved ones, and Nigerians”.

Olumide reflected on the respectful and cordial relationship between his late father and the late President Buhari, tracing their interactions back to Nigeria’s military era.

“My father stood firmly against military oppression and human rights abuses under successive juntas,” he recalled.

“In 2005, General Buhari approached my father for political support.

Read Also: Shettima: Buhari pursued justice with sincerity, remains one of Africa’s greatest sons

“My father agreed, on one condition: that Buhari accompany him to church services to demonstrate religious tolerance.

He kept that promise.

Acknowledging that the Buhari Administration faced significant economic and security challenges, the Braithwaite family also praised the former president for his unwavering stand against corruption, his integrity, and efforts to promote national unity.

“Our thoughts are with his wife, Her Excellency Aisha Buhari, their children, grandchildren, and the larger Buhari family, as they grieve this profound loss,” the statement said.

Ned Nwoko: Senate delegation missed burial over airport congestion

The Senate delegation was forced to return to Abuja after several failed attempts to land at Katsina airport for the burial of former President Muhammadu Buhari, Ned Nwoko, senator representing Delta North said yesterday.

Buhari was buried in his Daura, Katsina State home on Tuesday.

July 18, 2025
Buhari’s words guided my actions as Speaker- Abbas

Speaker Abbas Tajudeen on Thursday said late President Muhammadu Buhari’s words to him when he was elected have guided all his actions so far.

He said the late former President told him to lead as a Servant and not a master after he became Speaker of the 10th House.

In his tribute at a special expanded Federal Executive Council meeting in honour of ex-President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Speaker Abbas recalled how, in 2011, he was first elected to represent Zaria Federal Constituency on the platform of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), a party founded by Buhari.

Read ALos: BREAKING: Tinubu presides over special FEC session in honour of Buhari

Special Adviser to the Speaker in Media and Publicity, Musa Abdullahi Krishi quoted him as saying “President Buhari was no ordinary figure in our national journey. He embodied quiet strength, moral clarity, and an unshakable sense of duty.

“At a time when society was seduced by materialism, he chose a life of modest means and meaningful service. He was devoted to family and steadfast in his Islamic faith. His humour and humility softened his disciplined exterior.

“Buhari’s belief in the brevity of life and the certainty of judgment shaped his ascetic lifestyle and guided his public conduct. He lived not for applause or affluence but for principle, for country, and for the cause of a better Nigeria.

“To me, he was more than a leader. He was a mentor, a moral compass, and a source of guidance. My political journey began in 2011, under the banner of the Congress for Progressive Change, a party built on his credibility and character.

“A few years after my election, he honoured me by commissioning some of my constituency projects, making me the first member of the House of Representatives under the CPC to receive such recognition. I remember him in the blazing sun of Zaria, standing shoulder to shoulder with the people he so deeply loved. It was a quiet moment that spoke volumes.

“Years later, in 2023, during a brief meeting in the United Kingdom, he warmly welcomed me following my election as Speaker. His counsel was clear: lead as a servant, never as a master. Those words, simple yet profound, have remained my compass.”

Eulogising the late Buhari, the Speaker said he did not live for applause or influence but for principle and a better Nigeria, describing the ceremony was in “solemn reverence to honour the memory of a man whose life and legacy are deeply woven into the fabric of our republic.”

The Speaker said the late Buhari was being remembered in the same FEC chamber where he once presided “with purpose and principle,” describing him as “a sentinel of service, a steward of simplicity, and a statesman shaped by sacrifice.”

Speaker Abbas stressed that in public office, that Buhari was a true partner in democracy, stressing that he respected the independence of the legislature and urged his ministers to engage constructively with parliament.

He said Buhari signed into law several landmark bills that opened political space to young people, strengthened the country’s electoral processes, and laid the foundation for economic reform. While noting that the ex-president’s development vision reached beyond the present and into the future, Speaker Abbas said the roads, railways, and bridges he built are lasting gifts to generations yet unborn.

The Speaker said: “His war against corruption was unrelenting. Known to millions as Mai Gaskiya, the honest one, he lived a life free from personal scandal. His simple lifestyle was not symbolic. It was sincere. His integrity set a standard that will long outlive him. Whether as a military officer, a state governor, a federal minister, or a democratically elected president, he brought to every office the same disciplined devotion to duty.

“He was not a man of many words, but his words carried weight. His dreams for Nigeria were vast, his commitment to its progress unshakable. He embodied the best in us as a people: our relentlessness, resilience, love of God, and charity to our neighbours.”

Abbas said as Nigerians mark the end of his earthly journey, they also mark “the close of a defining chapter in our nation’s story.”

He added: “But his example endures: integrity as the soul of leadership, simplicity in power, patriotism above self-interest, unity in diversity and resilience in adversity. He gave Nigeria everything he had—from the youthful strength of a young soldier to the wisdom of an elder statesman. He never clung to power. He never sought personal reward. He served, and he stepped aside when his time was up.”

While urging Nigerians to honour Buhari’s life not only with words but also with a renewed commitment to the values he cherished.

July 17, 2025
BREAKING :Tinubu renames UNIMAID after Buhari

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has renamed the University of Maiduguri after former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Tinubu pronounced the renaming of the third generation federal university, popular called UNIMAID, at the close of the special Federal Executive Council (FEC) session held to honour Buhari’s memory.

Read Also: Veterans’ welfare now a reality under Tinubu, says Legion chairman

The special FEC session, on Thursday at the Executive Chambers of the State House, was part of a series of activities set aside to mourn the ex-President, who died last Sunday in a hospital in London, at 82.

Details Shortly…

July 17, 2025
BREAKING: Tinubu presides over special FEC session in honour of Buhari

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is currently presiding over a special session of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) convened in honour of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The solemn session, underway at the Council Chambers of the State House, has drawn an expanded audience, including top leaders of the National Assembly.

Among those in attendance are Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, and Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.

President Tinubu arrived at the venue at about 5:27 p.m., where the majority of cabinet members and dignitaries were already seated.

The session commenced with the national anthem, after which the President delivered moving remarks in tribute to his predecessor.

“President Muhammadu Buhari was respectful without pretence to his peers. He was kind to those who served under him. Even in death, he maintained the serenity that defined him in life,” President Tinubu said.

Read Also: Karimi, Tinubu support group announce N300m bursary scheme for 3,000 Kogi students

He added that Buhari’s patriotism “was lived more in action than in words,” describing him as “a good man, an honourable man, and a decent man.”

Former President Buhari, who led Nigeria from 2015 to 2023, passed away on Sunday, July 13, in London following a prolonged illness.

He was laid to rest on Tuesday in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State, in accordance with Islamic rites.

The special FEC session is part of a series of official activities to honour the legacy of the late statesman.

Details shortly…

July 17, 2025
Shettima: Buhari pursued justice with sincerity, remains one of Africa’s greatest sons

Vice President Kashim Shettima has described the late former President Muhammadu Buhari as a sincere and justice-driven leader, whose legacy will endure in the annals of Nigerian and African history.

Shettima, who led a high-powered Federal Government delegation to the 3rd-day (Fidau) prayer for the late former President in Daura, Katsina State, said Buhari, even in death, had proved to the world that he was truly one of Africa’s greatest sons.

“Ibn Khaldun reminds us that the goal of civilisation is the attainment of justice. Justice is the bone that holds human society together. It was justice, as he understood it, that President Muhammadu Buhari pursued – often misunderstood, but always with sincerity”, Shettima remarked.

The Vice President, representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the solemn occasion, offered prayers for the repose of the late leader’s soul, asking Almighty Allah to forgive his shortcomings and reward him with Aljannah.

According to a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima said “in power, your friends know you; but out of power, you know your friends. In death, President Buhari has proved to the world that he is, indeed, one of the greatest sons of Africa”.

Shettima further conveyed President Tinubu’s personal grief over the loss of his friend and political soulmate.

He expressed appreciation to Governor Dikko Umar Radda of Katsina State for the support extended to the Federal Government delegation, noting that the Katsina Governor had stood by the team from London through to the funeral rites in Nigeria.

“As a government, we assure you that the Tinubu administration will continue to protect the image and dignity of the Buhari family and the entire people of Katsina State,” Shettima stated.

He disclosed that he would be returning to Abuja with members of the Buhari family for a special valedictory Federal Executive Council (FEC) session in honour of the late President.

In his tribute, Governor Radda praised Buhari as a man of honesty and service, whose dedication to the Nigerian project was beyond dispute.

He expressed the gratitude of the people of Katsina to President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima for the immense honour accorded to the memory of the late leader.

“We, the people of Katsina State, do not have words enough to thank the Federal Republic of Nigeria. President Tinubu showed uncommon compassion and respect for our people by allowing 25 cabinet members, led by the Vice President, to be physically present with us. We are especially grateful for the public holiday declared on the day Buhari was laid to rest”, the Governor said.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, reaffirmed Buhari’s place in national history, noting that he belonged to Daura, Katsina, Nigeria, and the world.

“On behalf of the 25 ministers here, we appreciate the people of Daura and Katsina for the warmth and spiritual atmosphere of this event. We call on all Nigerians to continue praying for the repose of his soul,” Idris said.

Earlier, Islamic clerics led by Prof. Ali Pantami, former Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, opened the Fidau prayer with reflections on the transient nature of life and the spiritual duty of constant prayers for the dead.

“Prayer for the departed should not be confined to a few days. It is a duty we must continuously uphold,” Pantami admonished.

Read Also: FG pledges to uphold Buhari’s legacy as Shettima, Sambo, others pay tribute in Daura

Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, also offered prayers on behalf of FEC members, asking Allah to “cover Buhari’s grave with mercy and admit him into Aljannah.”

Leading clerics who offered prayers included Prof. Ibrahim Makari of the Abuja National Mosque, Sheikh Yahaya Jingir, Mamman Musa, Khalifa Mohammad Nasir, and Malam Hassan Daura.

Bishop of Katsina was also present in a show of interfaith respect.

Among other notable dignitaries at the prayer session were former Vice President Namadi Sambo; Governors Babagana Zulum of Borno and Dikko Radda of Katsina; former SGF Ambassador Babagana Kingibe; former Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, SAN; Ambassador Adamu Daura; former Governors Aminu Masari (Katsina) and Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara); and former NSA Babagana Monguno.

Also in attendance were former DG of the National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Rufai; business mogul Mohammed Indimi; Buhari’s nephew Mamman Daura; former FCT Minister Muhammad Bello; the Emirs of Katsina, Daura and Bade; and the Sultan of Maradi from Niger Republic, alongside thousands of mourners from all over the country.

July 17, 2025
Buhari: Umahi pays tribute to late president, recalls personal moments, national impact

The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has paid glowing tribute to Nigeria’s former President, Muhammadu Buhari, describing him as a man of discipline, integrity, and unwavering commitment to national unity and development.

Umahi made the remarks on Wednesday, July 17, 2025, while signing the condolence register at the Federal Ministry of Works headquarters in Mabushi, Abuja.

The Minister praised the former President’s legacy, both as a former military Head of State and two-term democratically elected leader, noting that his contributions had left a lasting mark on the nation’s political and infrastructural landscape.

“I personally believed that such a man with so much discipline, integrity, honesty, and selfless service to humanity would live up to 100 years,” Umahi said in an emotion-laden tribute.

Recalling his personal relationship with Buhari, Umahi, a former Governor of Ebonyi State, shared fond memories of their interactions, including regular gifts of Abakaliki rice which the former President enjoyed even after leaving office.

“He called me and said he was missing Abakaliki rice. That’s the kind of bond we had,” the Minister recalled.

He also expressed gratitude for Buhari’s support during his time as governor, stating, “I can’t forget how he stood by us, even when certain forces tried to stop the emergence of the present Governor of Ebonyi State.

“He intervened directly by calling the national chairman of our party and insisted it had to be the current Governor.”

Umahi recounted Buhari’s memorable visit to Ebonyi State, where the former President commissioned projects from morning until late evening.

“While I was escorting him to his room, he joked, ‘Governor, you know how to punish someone,” Umahi said, describing the late leader as humorous and humble.

He also praised Buhari’s selflessness, citing the renaming of the Ebonyi airport, originally named after Buhari after the late Senator Chuba Okadigbo, “That’s who he was, always thinking of others,” he said.

Read Also: Buhari’s passing is a great national loss, Umahi mourns

The Minister expressed deep sorrow at Buhari’s passing, describing it as a great loss to the nation.

He extended his condolences to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the family and associates of the late President, and all Nigerians.

Umahi also commended President Tinubu for the respect and recognition he accorded his predecessor.

“President Buhari himself acknowledged during the second-year anniversary of President Tinubu’s administration that the current President helped him to actualize his destiny of becoming Nigeria’s leader,” he noted.

He prayed for fortitude for all Nigerians to bear the loss, saying the former President would be deeply missed.

July 17, 2025
FG pledges to uphold Buhari’s legacy as Shettima, Sambo, others pay tribute in Daura

The Federal Government has pledged to preserve and build upon the “laudable legacies” of late former President Muhammadu Buhari.

This commitment was made on Thursday in Daura, Katsina State, during a solemn prayer session held in his honour.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, led a high-powered federal delegation to the event, which drew dignitaries from across Nigeria and beyond, including former Benin Republic President and ex-Nigerian Vice President Namadi Sambo.

Speaking at the Government House in Daura, Shettima described Buhari as one of Africa’s greatest sons, whose life was defined by discipline, sacrifice, and integrity.

“In power, your friends know you. Out of power, you know your friends. In death, you reminded the world of the value of honour,” Shettima said.

He added: “On behalf of President Tinubu, I assure you that the Federal Government remains committed to preserving Buhari’s legacy and protecting his family’s dignity.”

Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umar Radda, expressed gratitude to the Federal Government and Nigerians for their show of solidarity.

“We thank President Tinubu for his empathy and for assigning 25 ministers to remain in Katsina since the passing of our father and leader. Their presence speaks volumes,” he said, urging leaders to rule with the fear of God.

The event was attended by several high-ranking officials, including Minister of Information Mohammed Idris, Minister of Budget and National Planning Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Health Ali Pate, Minister of Agriculture Abubakar Kyari, and Minister of Defence Badaru Abubakar. Former ministers Hadi Sirika and Isa Ali Pantami were also present.

Other notable attendees included Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum, Senators Abdulaziz Yar’adua and Sani Zangon Daura, members of the House of Representatives, top security chiefs, and former service heads such as Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd), Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), and former IGPs Abubakar Sama’ila and Muhammad Dahiru Abubakar.

Traditional rulers led by the Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Abdulmumin Kabir Usman; Emir of Daura, Alhaji Faruk Umar Faruk; and Sultan of Maradi, Niger Republic, Sultan Ahmed Ali Zaki Maremawa, graced the ceremony alongside kingmakers and district heads from the Katsina and Daura Emirates.

Leading the prayer session were renowned Islamic scholars including Sheikh Abdullahi Bala Lau, Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir, Sheikh Kabir Muhammad Haruna, Sheikh Ahmad Sulaiman Ibrahim, and Sheikh Ibrahim Ahmad Maqary.

July 17, 2025