At a special meeting of the Federal Executive Council in honor of former president Muhammadu Buhari, held on Thursday at the State House in Abuja, President Bola Tinubu delivered the tributes.
President Tinubu was present at Buhari’s burial on Tuesday in Daura, where he passed away after he died in a London hospital on Sunday.
Other government officials, including the president’s children, members of the Federal Executive Council, the president of Nigeria, and the president’s children, also attended the special FEC meeting.
Tinubu praised the former president for carrying the burdens of leadership without a complaint, claiming that he had restrained the nation and exercised the presidency’s dignity.
Read more about Tinubu changing the name to Maiduguri University after Buhari.
The President praised his predecessor for standing “first among soldiers in battle, first among citizens in peace, and first, without pretense or flattery, in the hearts of his fellow citizens.”
His true greatness was revealed in the quiet and unadorned settings of his private life: pious without show, just without cruelty, humane without sentimentality, temperate without coldness, and sincere without guile.
His example guided all who came across him, being upright in posture and spirit, dignified in bearing, and commanding in his own presence. It continues to endure.
He noted that Buhari was kind without condescension and respectful to his peers without pretence, and to those who served under him.
“And he was unfailingly tender, loyal, and good to those who he loved most dearly. His life was both a refuge for virtue and a rebuke for vice. According to him, the purity of his private life gave a shining example of the discipline and moral character of his public service.
The President continued, “Even in death, he maintained the serenity that defined him in life: a quiet submission to the will of God.” Nigeria lost a lot of people to this. This man caused the nation’s current mourning.
“President Buhari lived a life of austerity,” he said. He remained straight throughout the entire ramrod, unmoved by the temptation to use force, unfazed by applause, and unafraid of the loneliness that frequently strikes those who practice what is right rather than what is accepted. His righteousness never made an appearance in public; it was quiet courage. His acts of patriotism were more evident than his words.
His life traces the course of the journey of Nigeria. Before gaining its independence, he joined the fight to save our country. He fought both in battle and in harmony with vigilance and tenacity, as if he had been given the task of keeping tabs on Nigeria.
The Inter-Ministerial Committee, led by Governor Dikko Radda and the Secretary of the Federation’s Government, George Akume, thanked Tinubu for organizing a dignified state funeral for the former president in less than 48 hours.
He once more condoled Aisha Buhari, her children, the entire Buhari family, the state’s government and people, as well as those who knew and cherished the former president.
President Buhari’s family members, who have spent more than 50 years in public service, will remain in our hearts. We pay tribute to his service, reflect on his legacy, and ask for his soul’s tranquil repose, Tinubu continued.
