President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presided on Thursday a special solemn and emotional session of the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) held in honor of the late President Muhammadu Buhari in the Presidential Villa.
I understand a moving tribute, Tinubu described Buhari's life as a marked by discipline, moral strength and unwavering patriotism.
He asked the Nigerians to use the life and legacy of the late former president Muhammadu Buhari as a moral and leadership compass, urging public servants and citizens to adopt humility, discipline and dedication to national service.
In statements to an audience that included members of the Cabinet, legislators, governors and members of the Buhari family, the president said that Buhari's life offered a standard worthy of emulation, particularly for those in positions of authority.
“We must bring the memory of President Muhammadu Buhari as a moral compass for our nation. His life was marked by humility in power, personal discipline and a strong sense of duty for Nigeria.
“He ruled without extravagance, led without arrogance and remained firm in his values even in the most difficult times,” said Tinubu.
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The president's tribute occurred in the midst of a National Duel Week declared in honor of Buhari.
Buhari, who died in London on Sunday at the age of 82, was buried Tuesday in Daura, state of Katsina, according to Islamic rites.
The special session of the EMF brought together the senior government officials, legislators, governors and ministers, many of whom carried black or white in a solemn tribute to the deceased statesman.
He described Buhari, not as a perfect man or leader, but as a good, decent and honorable man.
Although he acknowledges that Buhari's registration, like all legacies, will be subject to debate, Tinubu insisted that the character that brought to public life, the moral force he led and the incorruptible standard he represented will not be forgotten.
“We gathered to honor a man whose presence once ordered this same room, whose voice once summoned the best in us, and whose convictions never leaned, even the strongest winds of public opinion.
“President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, former head of state and former president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has rested.
“It was the first among the soldiers in the war, first among the citizens in peace, and first, without ambition or adulation, in the hearts of their fellow citizens. However, it was in the quiet environments and without ornaments of their private life that their true greatness was revealed: pious without a show, only without cruelty, human without sentence, temperate without cold and sincere without guillo.
“Stable in position and spirit, worthy in the support and command for their same presence, his example guided all who understood him. Even so, he lasts.
“For his companions, he was respectful and unpretentious. For those who served him, he was kind without condescension. And, for those whom he loved more intimately, he was infallible, loyal and good.
“His life was a rebuke for vice and a shelter for virtue. The purity of his private character gave a glow to the badge and integrity of his public service.
“Even in death, he maintained the serenity that defined him in life: not a sigh, not a groan, just a quiet submission to the will of God. Thus was the man who has lost. Such was the man for whom the nation of which the nation now cries,” he said.
President Tinubu described Buhari's life as an austere honor, marked by the restriction in power and resistance to political temptation. He said that Buhari “Ramrod always stood up, without being moderated by the temptation of power, not seduced by applause, and without fear of loneliness that is sometimes those who do what is correct instead of popular.” According to him, Buhari established a moral tone in the government, one rooted in transparency, justice and quiet courage.
Tinubu also reflected on his shared political trip, remembering how his alliance, next to him, others extracted from all political and regional divisions, aimed at the first peaceful democratic transfer of Nigeria's power from one ruling party to another in 2015. He described the leadership of Buhari during that transition as restricted and dignified, and no.
Recognizing that each legacy invites scrutiny, Tinubu said that Buhari's integrity and discipline must continue to be a reference point for future leadership. He pointed out that the patriotism of the late president lived more in action than in words, and that his justice never sought attention.
The special session of the DAD concluded with prayers and a moment of silence in honor of the late leader, who died in [insert date if publicly known]. Throughout the country, taxes continue to arrive as dignitaries, common civil society and Nigerian groups that reflect on Buhari's service.
The words of President Tinubu are now a formal state testament of a man who, for decades, symbolized an austere governance and disciplined public service. In his final reflection, Tinubu reaffirmed: “The incorruptible standard he represented will not be forgotten.”
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has changed the name of the University of Maiduguri (Unimaid) as the Muhammadu Buhari University in honor of his predecessor, the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.
He announced the university name change during a special session of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in Abuja, held as a tribute day to the former president.
Speaking in the session, Tinubu described Buhari as a good, decent and honorable man who contributed integrity and moral force to the public office.
He acknowledged that while Buhari, like all leaders, had imperfections, his life was marked by a faithful service to the nation and devotion to God.
Tinubu said that Buhari's legacy would be remembered not only through words, but by defending the values he exemplified: humility in leadership, discipline in service, compassion in government and courage in the search for justice.
He said: “President Buhari was not a perfect man, no leader is, but he was, in all the senses of the word, a good man, a decent man, an honorable man.
“His record will be debated, as are all the legacies, but the character that brought to public life, the moral force he led, the incorruptible standard he represented, will not forget. His was a life in full service to Nigeria and in fidelity to God.
“Now, he rests. And we, who remain, must take the memory of his life as a standard to guide us. Let's honor it not only with words, but with humility in power, discipline in service, compassion in governance and courage in the search for justice.”
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