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From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu and the political associates of former president Muhammadu Buhari, have lined up activities to mark Buhari’s first posthumous anniversary.
According to the organisers of the event, President Tinubu would top the list of dignitaries expected to ensure that he gets a befitting remembrance.
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, who made the disclosure at a pre-event press conference yesterday, explained that the highlight of the occasion would be the presentation of the book of tributes, titled, “Tributes and Condolences in Honour of Muhammadu Buhari.”
The former SGF added that the book would contain messages and comments from the global community, including heads of state, diplomats and political leaders, who still remember the late President as a man of simplicity, resilience and integrity.
Speaking on behalf of the Central Planning Committee, Mustapha stated that the commemorative event would bring together the family of the late Buhari, his friends and associates, public officials and well-wishers to remember his life and to offer prayers and supplications for the repose of his soul.
He added that the programme would consist principally of interfaith and interdenominational prayers reflecting the values of unity, faith and national cohesion that the former President upheld throughout his life and his service to the country.
“At the event, a select number of individuals, who worked closely with the late President will speak to his historical legacy and share their personal experiences of him.
“If you look behind the screen, you will see the poster there. It will be presented to the public by the special guest of honour, Bola Tinubu, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces. In his pages, the global community, including heads of state, diplomats and political leaders, remembered the late President as a man of simplicity, resilience and integrity,” Mustapha said.
Reacting further, he said because of the importance of the book, the organisers have decided that it is neither for sale nor for fundraising and would be distributed free to Nigerians.
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Furthermore, religious leaders representing various faiths and denominations would be on hand to lead prayers for him, because the occasion will not only honour the memory of the late President, but also serve as a source of comfort and encouragement to his family, friends, admirers and the entire people of Nigeria, who continue to cherish his worthy legacy of service to the nation.
The event is scheduled to be held on July 13 at the Nigerian Army Conference Centre in Asokoro, Abuja.
Asked if the event will be yearly, Mustapha said: “For all intents and purposes, this is the first one. Thereafter, there will be a structure in place that might take care of whether it is going to be annual or periodical. But this is the first one.
“Now, we thought as his associates, family and friends and those that worked with him during his tenure that it was a worthy venture to remember him on the first anniversary of his death,” he said.
The former SGF also shared his personal experience and last moments with Buhari before his death, explaining, “It has been a year of solemn reflection about the times and life of President Buhari. Personally, I miss him and I cherish the memory of the service I offered the nation through his instrumentality.
“He appointed me SGF and I served him for five years and several months. And we had personal moments, we had official moments. All are being held in memory. When I look back at his simplicity, the way he conducted his life and reflect over it, I begin to question and I begin to have that feeling of what man is made of, the frailty of life and the transient nature of life. I saw him a month before he passed. And the subsequent attempt to see him, by then he had taken ill.
“I was unable to see him. But I still remember the memories of the last dinner I had with him. We chatted for over an hour over a meal in his hotel accommodation in the UK.
“And those are very precious memories because we reflected on our tenure. We spoke about the things that we did and the things that we anticipated to do, but because of the limitation of time, we were unable to do it. For me personally, whenever I think about my personal relationship and my official relationship with him, I feel I’ve lost a leader, a father, a mentor and a guiding force.
“Nigeria is a large country. When you talk about even infrastructural development, you talk about how to situate the nation and the things that you thought could be done hurriedly, but because of the systems that have been put in place, it has to take its time. So, on all facets of life, we wished that certain things were accomplished,” he narrated.
