The National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) and the Fertilizer Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN) have joined millions of Nigerians and the international community to mourn the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari, describing his passing as a huge loss to the nation.
NUTGTWN, in a statement jointly signed by its President, Peters Godonu, and General Secretary, Ali Baba, recalled Buhari’s pivotal role in championing policies that sought to revive Nigeria’s moribund textile industry, create decent jobs, and promote industrial growth.
The union noted that President Buhari, who died on Sunday, July 13, 2025, in London after a prolonged illness, was the first Nigerian leader to grant audience to its leadership, during which he promised to reverse the decline in the textile sector and return it to its glory days.
“During his 2015 campaign, he was perhaps the only candidate who made textile revival a major campaign issue. As President, his policies laid a solid foundation for the revival of industries, particularly textiles,” the union stated.
They highlighted Buhari’s introduction of a comprehensive Cotton, Textile and Garment (CTG) policy, firm support for Executive Order 003 mandating local content in public procurement, and the Central Bank-backed funding support for industries as landmark initiatives that buoyed local production and rekindled hope among workers.
“In recognition of his commendable efforts to revive the textile industry, our National Executive Council conferred on him the title of Honorary Member of the Union,” the statement added.
Similarly, FEPSAN, in a tribute signed by its President, Alhaji Sadiq Kassim, said Buhari would be remembered as a principled and resolute leader whose tenure significantly impacted Nigeria’s agricultural transformation.
“Throughout his time in office, he remained committed to the agricultural sector as a driver for economic development. We pay tribute to his life and enduring legacy and salute his contribution to the advancement of Africa’s unity and voice on the global stage,” Kassim said.
Both organisations prayed for the repose of Buhari’s soul and urged Nigerians to sustain his vision for a stronger, self-reliant and industrially vibrant nation.
A former Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, took to social media yesterday to express her condolences and share memories of working in the Cabinet of the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
Mrs. Adeosun served as the Minister of Finance from November 11, 2015, to September 14, 2018. She made her mark during the period as a vibrant finance expert who always analysed the state of the economy for fellow Nigerians.
It was during her tenure that the nation’s economy entered recession twice, and she steadily steered the economy’s ship to safe shores.
The former minister’s heartfelt tribute reflected her deep respect for the deceased and the significant impact he had on her life and career.
In the tribute, Mrs. Adeosun fondly recalled how Buhari affectionately referred to her as “Maikudi,” a term meaning “the one that handles money” or a rich person. This light-hearted nickname illustrates the rapport they shared during her tenure in government and highlights her crucial role in managing Nigeria’s finances.
The former minister expressed her gratitude for serving her country under Buhari’s leadership, which she described as her “greatest honour”.
She noted that working with him was not only a professional privilege but also a personal pleasure, showcasing the deep admiration she holds for the late President.
Adeosun’s tribute concluded with a heartfelt farewell, saying: “Good night, Your Excellency. Rest in Peace, Sir.”
She signed off with her nickname, “Maikudi,” further conveying the enduring bond they shared.
This tribute adds to the outpouring of grief and appreciation for the late President Buhari, as many other Nigerians also reflect on his contributions to the nation and the legacy he leaves behind.
A former Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Admiral Usman Jibrin (retd.), has said the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari is a personal loss to him.
He said the late leader’s unwavering trust in his capacity to secure Nigeria’s maritime domain marked a defining moment in his military career.
In a condolence message, Jibrin joined millions of Nigerians in mourning the death of the former President, who passed away on Sunday at a London hospital after a protracted illness.
The former CNS extended his condolences to the Buhari family, the government and people of Katsina State, and fellow Nigerians across the country.
He described the late President as a disciplined patriot and symbol of national integrity.
“President Buhari, like President Jonathan, believed in my ability to protect the nation’s waterways and critical assets. His trust meant more than words,” Jibrin said.
The former CNS credited the late Buhari with having a keen appreciation for national security.
According to him, the late President was a leader whose legacy of simplicity, courage, and commitment to nation-building will continue to shape Nigeria’s democratic path.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and the people of Nigeria on the passing of former President Muhammadu Buhari,” Jibrin said.
“His leadership and dedication to Nigeria’s development and democracy have left a lasting impact.”
The retired Admiral offered prayers for the peaceful repose of the former President’s soul and prayed God to strengthen and comfort those he left behind.
Retired Admiral Jibrin served as Nigeria’s Chief of Naval Staff from January 2014 to July 2015 and was widely regarded for his efforts in maritime security and anti-piracy operations during a critical period in the country’s fight against oil theft and insurgency.
He described the late statesman as a mighty warrior who was also one of the three most prominent Northerners.
In the tribute, titled “The Passing of a Mighty Warrior,” the former minister reflected on the impactful life of the late President.
He preluded with a quote from the Bible: How are the mighty fallen in the midst of battle… How are the mighty fallen and the weapons of war perished!- 2 Samuel 1:25-27.
Fani-Kayode wrote: “With the tragic passing, it is clear that the last of the three great Mahdis and most formidable warriors and messianic leaders of Northern Nigeria has finally fallen. The first was Sheik Usman Dan Fodio, who founded and established the Sokoto Caliphate; the second was Sir Ahmadu Bello, who was the erstwhile Premier of the old Northern Region and the Sardauna of Sokoto; and the third was General Muhammadu Buhari, who was the immediate past President of Nigeria and the man that was commonly referred to by the Northern masses as ‘Mai Gaskiya’.
“All three were revered by their people and were regarded as not just pious and righteous men but also deeply courageous souls who would do anything in defence of their faith and who risked all in their fight against injustice and evil.
“Yet, Buhari managed to achieve what the others could not: he became the indisputable leader of not just the North but also of the whole of Nigeria, and he did it THREE times!
“His role in the affairs of our nation transcended politics and veered into the spiritual.
“In the North, he was not seen as a mere political leader but more as a religion, and his following was indescribable, unprecedented, and massive. He was a rare phenomenon and an intriguing enigma: a remarkable man and inspirational leader whose destiny was intrinsically intertwined with Nigeria’s.
“He managed to achieve what no other Nigerian leader has managed to achieve in our entire history: the unflinching, unconditional, unquestioning, and fanatical adulation and love of the whole of the core North and the support of many in the South.
“He was indeed the first amongst equals and, love him or hate him, his legacy and commitment to the service of our nation have left an indelible mark.
“The question on everyone’s mind is who can take up his mantle of Northern leadership today and who can fill into his gargantuan shoes?
“Whatever the answer to those questions are, one thing is clear: the North and indeed Nigeria shall NEVER be the same without him.
“May the soul of this great, noble, and proud warrior and patriotic son of Nigeria rest in peace, and may God grant his family the fortitude to bear this loss.”
Owokoniran, a former Chairman of Ikeja Local Government Area of Lagos state, wrote this promise in a tribute to the late President Buhari yesterday in Lagos.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain and former Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, said: “The challenge is particularly to surpass Buhari’s expectations and make the institution an international pride as a mark of immortalising the heroic contributions of the late President to education and progressive leadership.
“As Chairman of the Governing Council of the university, all best efforts possible shall be deployed into the institution to attain the standard and productivity as envisaged by its establishment.”
He noted that the death of the former President came as a big shock to the town of Daura, the governing council, members of staff, and students of FUTD, the hometown of the late symbol of exemplary leadership.
“Daura is the community that hosts a foremost specialised university in the country.
“The immense contributions of the late President from his days as a military officer and Head of State to being a politician and civilian President cannot be quantified.
“He stood out as a symbol of selfless leadership and, no doubt, had passed on as a great hero of positive leadership.
“We do not doubt that the late President’s goodwill resonates in the acceptance of the specialised university by the Daura community,” Owokoniran said.
Tinubu, African leaders, governors, ordinary folk bid ex-president farewell
Katsina, Daura locked down
The sun rose solemnly over Daura yesterday as a chapter in Nigeria’s history came to a close.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari was laid to rest inside his compound in the ancient Northwest town amid a thunderous outpouring of emotion, reverence, and pageantry.
It was a full state burial, witnessed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, some West African leaders, governors, ministers, federal and state lawmakers, top government functionaries, military top brass, captains of industries, family members and ordinary folk.
The crowd was massive.
The military conducted proceedings and gave a 21-gun salute shortly before the body was lowered into the grave.
The dirge: “…Till we meet again,” among other songs for such an occasion, was sung.
The mournful songs at both Katsina and Daura moved many people to tears.
From the moment his body arrived at Katsina Airport at about 2 pm, it was clear this was no ordinary farewell.
A full military parade stood in honour, the soldiers’ boots striking the tarmac with precision, their eyes locked in solemn salute.
The Presidential jet bearing the body, on touchdown, commanded all the attention.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who led the delegation that brought the body from London, was the first to alight, followed by family members, including Buhari’s widow Aisha.
Generals from all the services – Army, Air Force and the Navy – decked in ceremonial uniform, brought the casket out of the aircraft.
Draped in the green-white-green national flag, it was received by President Tinubu.
After the airport ceremony, the body, taken into an ambulance, was accompanied by a long convoy on the trip to Daura, about 88 kilometres away.
First Lady Oluremi Tinubu accompanied Hajia Aisha Buhari and her children on the last journey for the former president.
The convoy departed the airport named after former President Umar Musa Yar’Adua at 3 pm.
The late Yar’Adua, who was elected President in 2007 in an election contested by the late President Buhari, died in office in 2010.
The late former Commander-in-Chief Buhari was granted a fitting tribute: a 21-gun salute cracked the silence over Daura’s skyline, echoing like a final punctuation to his decades-long service to the nation.
Across the northern state, normal life came to a standstill.
Katsina and Daura were effectively in lockdown, as dignitaries, businessmen, and mourners poured in from every corner of the country and beyond.
Streets leading to Buhari’s modest country home overflowed with people—supporters waving flags, clerics offering prayers, and locals simply standing in quiet reflection.
A sea of traditional turbans, agbadas, military uniforms, and Western suits blended into a singular tapestry of national grief.
How the funeral unfolded
President Tinubu, according to his spokesman Bayo Onanuga, arrived at the airport from Abuja at 1:42 pm, his expression a mixture of resolve and sorrow.
Standing beside him were African counterparts—President Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau, Prime Minister Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine of the Niger Republic and former Niger President Mohammad Bazoum.
The crowd, the ceremony, and the presence of African heads of state—all pointed to one truth: Muhammadu Buhari departed not quietly but in a blaze of glory.
A host of elder statesmen and people from all walks of life all came to pay their last respects to a man who once steered Nigeria through turbulent times.
Inside the family compound, emotions boiled over. Some climbed trees to catch a glimpse.
Dikko Radda, the governor of Katsina State and a longtime loyalist of the former president, visibly fought back tears during his tribute.
His voice trembled as he spoke of Buhari’s austere integrity, his lifelong dedication to Nigeria, and his enduring impact on the region and continent.
President Tinubu inspected a guard of honour before the Nigerian Air Force plane conveying the remains of his predecessor landed at exactly 1:51 p.m.
Apart from Shettima and Aisha Buhari, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, was on the delegation to London.
President Tinubu, along with Shettima, President Embaló, Prime Minister Zeine, former President Bazoum, and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, received the casket of the late president at the foot of the aircraft.
A joint team of military pallbearers comprising nine senior officers laid the casket, draped with the Nigerian flag, on a trolley.
The team included Major-General Mohammed Usman, Major-General Oluwafemi Williams, Major-General Shuaibu Nudu, Rear Admiral Suleiman Dahun, Rear Admiral Jonathan Ajodo, Rear Admiral Samuel Ngatuwa, Air Vice Marshal Adeniyi Herbert Amesinlola, Air Vice Marshal Idi Sanni, and Air Vice Marshal Obinna Obiabaka.
Major General Mike Alechenu coordinated the team.
The pallbearers wheeled the former leader’s casket in a slow march, in sync with the dirge, passing through a full military guard of honour comprising six officers and 96 soldiers drawn from the Armed Forces.
President Tinubu and others walked behind the casket trolley in a solemn procession.
The pallbearers escorted the casket into a waiting military hearse for the one-hour journey to Daura.
The funeral prayer (Salatul Janazah) was said by the Chief Imam of the Central Mosque in Daura, Sheikh Salisu Rabiu.
President Tinubu and the late president’s close family members witnessed the interment at 5.50 p.m.
One of Buhari’s friends, Sulaiman Yarin-Katsina, believed that the late president remained deeply connected to his community throughout his life due to his unwavering simplicity.
Although heavy security dominated Daura, including the entrance of the Daura Emirate Council, commercial activities continued uninterruptedly along the major road linking to the deceased’s residence.
Prominent leaders present included Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Abbas Tajudeen, Deputy Senate President Senator Barau Jibrin, Senator Kawu Sumaila, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, Senator Sani Bello, former Senator Abu Ibrahim, and former Senator Yariman Bakura.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was among those who arrived early at the Buhari compound in Daura.
Security chiefs in attendance included Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa, Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, former Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd), and former Director General of DSS Yusuf Bichi.
Governor Radda led the state government delegation, which included Deputy Governor Faruq Lawal Jobe, Speaker of the State House of Assembly Nasir Yahaya Daura, Secretary to the State Government Abdullahi Garba Faskari, and members of the State Executive Council.
Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris; Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu; Minister of State for Defence Bello Matawalle; Minister of Agriculture Senator Abubakar Kyari; former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Dr. Isa Ali Pantami, and former Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami were also present.
The ceremony was also attended by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Chairman and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, alongside governors Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Abba Kabir Yusuf (Kano), Uba Sani (Kaduna), and Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa).
Others were Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Nasir Idris (Kebbi), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), Ahmed Aliyu (Sokoto), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Monday Okpebholo (Edo), Bassey Otu (Cross River), and Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF) chairman Hope Uzodimma (Imo).
Former governors in attendance included Ibrahim Shehu Shema (Katsina), Ali Modu Sheriff (Borno), Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), and Yahaya Bello (Kogi), among others.
Private sector leaders included Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Alhaji Sayyu Dantata, and Alhaji Dahiru Barau Mangal, while traditional rulers, including Emirs of Katsina, Alhaji Abdulmumini Kabir Usman; Daura -HRH Alhaji Faruq Umar Faruq, and Kano – Aminu Ado Bayero were also present.
Hours before the burial of former President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Daura, Katsina State, beneficiaries of his numerous charitable gestures poured out heartfelt tributes.
They described him as a man who never turned his back on the needy.
Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) a community elder, Aminu Daura, recalled how Buhari distributed foodstuffs during Ramadan to families, friends, widows, and orphans.
“He never made noise about it, but many homes had food on their tables during the fasting period because of him,” Daura said.
A physically-challenged Abdullahi Sani, who received a tricycle from the Buhari Foundation in 2021, broke down in tears while speaking to NAN.
“I can move around and feed my family today because of Baba Buhari. I pray to Allah to reward him for giving hope to people like me,” he prayed.
Another resident, Hajiya Fatima Yahaya, said Buhari often distributed Sallah rams and foodstuffs to indigent families during Muslim celebrations.
“Even after he left office, his aides ensured that the usual support still reached us every year. He always remembered his people,” she added.
Many other residents in Daura also recalled how the former President quietly funded school fees and medical bills for struggling families.
Ali Saidu said: “Some of us benefited from his silent interventions. He was a true father and a great figure in society.”
NAN reports Imams held special Qur’anic recitations across mosques in Daura on Monday night, praying for the forgiveness of his sins and eternal peace in the hereafter.
A Chief Imam in Daura, Sheikh Musa Kofar Barau, said Buhari’s legacy of service and humility would live on in the hearts of the people.
In this piece, BOLAJI OGUNDELE describes the sights and moods at the burial of former President Muhammadu Buhari, from the moment his remains were received.
In Katsina and Daura, the air carried a heavy stillness—the kind that follows the passing of a giant. Former President Muhammadu Buhari, who once ruled Nigeria as both military and civilian leader, had finally returned home. The man known by millions as Mai Gaskiya—the Honest One—was back on his native soil, not to govern, but to rest.
From his final breath in a London hospital, to the last shovel of earth in Daura, former President Muhammadu Buhari’s last journey stirred a tapestry of national memory, reverence, and reflection. When the wheels of the Nigerian Air Force plane touched down at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport in Katsina at 1:59 p.m., the mood among those present crystallized into one simple sentiment: Nigeria had lost a pillar.
The casket, draped in the Nigerian flag, was not carried as freight in the belly of the plane. It had flown in the cabin—among family and dignitaries—as a symbol of honour to a man who, left a distinct footprint on the sands of history. His widow, Aisha, and close relatives, alighted first, descending the steps in dignified silence. Behind them came the coffin, emerging not just as a container of mortality, but as a national relic of service, sacrifice, and statesmanship.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrived Katsina at 1:45 p.m.— 15 minutes before the funeral jet. In doing so, he sent a strong signal of respect for his predecessor. Clad in a blue agbada, the president disembarked from the aircraft and was greeted by Katsina State Governor Dikko Radda, other senior government officials, and traditional rulers. There were no speeches. None were needed. The moment belonged to grief and solemn remembrance.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who had led the Federal Government’s delegation from London, also joined the President in receiving the body. With him were Presidential Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila; Deputy Chief of Staff Senator Ibrahim Hadejia; Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar; and Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum. Their journey back home had been long and emotional—carrying not only Buhari’s remains but also the silent weight of a nation’s mourning.
The tarmac ceremony unfolded with the precision of military tradition. Soldiers snapped into salute, a band played a muted march, and the pallbearers carried the casket gently along a red carpet rolled out across the runway. The procession—marked by crisp uniformity and sombre silence—paused briefly as President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima walked behind the casket in symbolic submission to the finality of death.
The convoy set off for Daura, with a solemn dignity that rarely accompanies political processions in Nigeria. Along the highway from Katsina to Daura, thousands of Nigerians had gathered to pay their last respects. There was no noise, no cheering, no chaos—just a sea of pensive faces and hands raised in farewell.
In contrast to the emotionally dense scene at the airport, the atmosphere in Daura was mournfully patient. The streets were hushed by sunrise, as townspeople prepared themselves for the arrival of their son. All over Daura, especially around the late President’s residence, men sat on mats under neem trees, women whispered Qur’anic verses, and children clung to the hands of their parents. Some had travelled from villages miles away to say goodbye.
The Buhari family residence in Daura, a simple and modest compound, had been transformed into the epicentre of national mourning. Here, the man who governed a country of over 200 million people chose to be laid to rest—not in Abuja, not in Lagos, but in the earth of his forebears. A brief lying-in-state was held, attended by President Tinubu, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, and foreign leaders – Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, Niger Republic’s Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine, and former Nigerien President Issoufou Mahamadou.
The Chief Imam of Daura, Sheikh Salisu Rabiu, led the Janazah prayer—Salatul Janazah—for the late President. The prayer, silent yet powerful, was offered by hundreds of mourners. As they bowed in reverence, their synchronized movements echoed unity, reminding all present of the religious simplicity that defined Buhari’s own lifestyle.
After the prayers, a solemn hush fell over the compound as the corpse was slowly carried to its final resting place in the courtyard. Before the interment, the Chief of Defence Staff read aloud the official citation of the General—his life, his service, his journey. It was a tribute that spoke of discipline, sacrifice, and devotion to Nigeria. it was followed by a 21-gun salute, reverberating through the skies of Daura like a final military call to rest.
At 5:55 p.m., Buhari was committed to the earth. His flag was carefully folded and handed to his widow in a moment that brought tears to many eyes. Aisha Buhari stood firm, surrounded by her children, the quiet strength of her grief visible to all. As the last handful of soil was sprinkled, the final chapter of Buhari’s life was closed—not with pomp, but with prayer.
President Tinubu stood silently for minutes before stepping away from the grave. In a brief statement later, he described Buhari as “a patriot, a soldier, and a statesman who dedicated his life to the unity and progress of Nigeria.”
The burial was a key element of the seven-day mourning, with Nigerian flags flown at half-mast across the country and prayers scheduled in mosques and churches nationwide. In Daura, the mourning will linger longer. The people did not just lose a former President—they lost a neighbour, a symbol, and, for many, a living legend.
Buhari was never an ordinary leader. From the moment he seized power in 1983 as a young General determined to root out corruption, to his return to democratic politics and election as president in 2015, he occupied a complex place in the national consciousness. Critics questioned his methods; supporters praised his integrity. But on the day of his burial, those debates fell away. What remained was the image of a man who, through decades of public service, gave of himself to the Nigeria.
That final image—his body lowered into the sand of Daura—summarised a life that began humbly, rose through the ranks, commanded a nation, and finally returned to the earth that bore him.
As dusk settled over Daura and the crowd began to disperse, silence returned. It was not the awkward silence of emptiness, but the solemn hush of history. The streets were once again quiet, the trees swayed gently in the northern wind, and the call to evening prayer rolled across the rooftops like a balm.
Inside the Buhari compound, the family remained in private grief, receiving visitors.. Outside, Nigerians resumed their journeys home, carrying with them a story they would tell for generations—that on the 15th of July, 2025, in the heart of Daura, a nation buried not just a man, but an era.
Buhari rests—not behind marble gates or under golden domes, but among his people, in the town that never stopped calling him Baba. His final home is the same red earth that shaped him—a soldier, a statesman, and a son of Daura.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has praised former President Muhammadu Buhari.’s key role in promoting regional peace and security in West Africa.
Guterres, in a statement by his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, said: “The Secretary-General is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the former President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari.
“President Buhari demonstrated a deep commitment to the sovereignty, stability and development of his country.
“He also played a key role in promoting regional peace and security in West Africa and the Lake Chad Basin.”
The UN chief said the former leader was also a strong advocate for multilateral and regional cooperation.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ms Amina Mohammed, the UN’s second-highest-ranking official, visited the Nigeria House in New York to pay tributes to the late former President.
Mohammed, who served under Buhari, as Minister of Environment and at the Petroleum Trust Fund, described the late leader as a man of discipline, deep conviction and steadfast patriotism whose legacy would endure far beyond Nigeria.
“He was a true patriot who believed in his country, believed in his people and did the best that he could,” Mohammed said.
Mohammed also highlighted Buhari’s courage and conviction in putting Nigeria and Africa first.
Also, the Turkish government yesterday condoled with the government and people of Nigeria over the death of Buhari.
Speaking during the ninth anniversary of the attempted change of government in Turkey, the Turkish Ambassador-designate, Mehmet Poroy said: “The government of Turkey expressed its deep condolences to the people and the government of Nigeria, on the passing of the former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari.”
Former President Muhammadu Buhari, a man of slim frame and naturally dematerialized configuration was a three term head of state of Nigeria by providence on the strength of his honesty.
First, it was in 1983. Some ambitious young military officers had found a ripe atmosphere in the cacophony that succeeded the 1983 presidential election in Nigeria and decided to strike under the leadership of Ibrahim Babangida et al. Being a putsch against a civilian regime under the watch of the Western world, beyond all the excuses provided and supported by the politicians themselves, the military needed a clean and irresistibly honest figure as the face of the putsch and hence they went for Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. He gave his conditions which included allowing him to appoint his No.2 and was granted. He and Tunde Idiagbon gave their all to cleaning the mess occasioned by gross indiscipline in our national life at the time while the real coupists keep scheming and monitoring time until the 17th of August, 1985 when the same IBB gang decided to end what became the 20 months of war against indiscipline (WAI) in Nigeria.
When Nigeria gregariously “transformed” to democratic rule in 1999 through the IBB flank, Muhammadu Buhari saw a good opportunity to leverage on his integrity and good standing with the ordinary Nigerian voters in the democratic space. Thrice he contested and failed marginally until a minority opposition hero (Bola Tinubu) spotted the honey-comb in an alliance with the dejected Muhammadu Buhari.
The hand of fate thus thrust him up again in 2015 as the opposition coalition presidential candidate and for the first time in Nigeria history, defeated and laid to rest the behemoth PDP unbroken 16 years hegemony.
As a civilian President, he has his eyes majorly on three things which were very critical at the time to the survival of the nation: onslaught on the grave insecurity in the nation as posed by the Boko Haram insurgents which has nearly overrun Abuja the Federal Capital Territory with bombs and explosions; onslaught on the already legitimized stinking official corruption and the diversification of the economy from oil dependency. Opinions remained highly divergent on his scores on all these three major planks but one indubitable fact is that while Nigeria remains in the trenches, we were never at the same level in the war against insecurity, the fight against leakages through official grafts and in the production of what Nigeria eats by Nigerians on Nigeria soil.
While it remained subject to debate whether 8 years was enough to see the end of deeply rooted social problems such as insurgency, corruption and economic mistletoe syndrome.
It is however not in doubt that former President Muhammadu Buhari gave his utmost best at all times to his country. His government dismantled Bokoharam and has continued to change form since; he prosecuted a far reaching technological war fare against graft by implementing the TSA, BVN,TIN, NIN etc. He even pursued a whistle blowing policy and Property Verification Number (PVN) policy to track illicit investment in properties, which were truncated. Government revenue however more than quadruple under his watch due to blockage of leakages.
Nigeria is today not again mentioned amongst net importers of rice and many cereal courtesy of his regime’s agricultural policies and the current regime is re-gigging all his policies for better performance and results.
My deepest condolences to Mrs. Aishat Buhari, former First Lady of the Federal Republic and the children of Baba Buhari, an honest leader in the tempest of the crookedness of the Nigerian political elites. I commiserate with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the loss of his immediate predecessor and the Nigeria state on the loss of a leader most loved by the talakawas.
