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According to the organisers, President Tinubu will lead the list of dignitaries expected at the event to ensure a befitting remembrance for the late former president.
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, disclosed this at a pre-event press conference on Wednesday. He explained that the highlight of the occasion would be the presentation of a book of tributes titled “Tributes and Condolences in Honour of Muhammadu Buhari”, in honour of the late president. He also announced that President Tinubu would serve as the Special Guest of Honour.
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 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 Buhari’s family, friends and associates, public officials and well-wishers to remember his life and 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 service to the country.
“At the event, a select number of individuals who work closely with the late President will speak to his historical legacy and share their personal experiences of him. A book of tributes titled Tributes and Condolences in honour of Muhammadu Buhari.
“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, His Excellency President Bola Ametilibu GCFR, 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 that because of the importance of the book, the organisers had decided that it would neither be sold nor used for fundraising purposes but would instead be distributed free of charge to Nigerians.
Furthermore, religious leaders representing various faiths and denominations would be on hand to lead prayers for the late president. He said the occasion would not only honour Buhari’s memory but also serve as a source of comfort and encouragement to his family, friends, admirers and Nigerians who continue to cherish his legacy of service to the nation.
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The event is scheduled to be held on July 13 at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Asokoro, Abuja.
Asked whether the event would become an annual programme, 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 periodic. But this is the first one.
“Now, we thought as his associates and 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 final moments with Buhari before his death.
“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, 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, you begin to question and you begin to have that feeling of what is man 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. For me personally, whenever I think about my personal relationship and my official relationship with him, I feel I’ve lost a leader, I’ve lost a father, I’ve lost 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.
