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•He shaped Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram –Ex-COAS, Buratai
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja and Noah Ebije, Kaduna
President Bola Tinubu, former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, incumbent and former governors, revered traditional rulers, National Assembly members, religious leaders, members of the diplomatic community, captains of industry, heavyweight politicians across party divides, senior public servants, were among the dignitaries that gathered in Abuja to mark the first year remembrance of late former president Muhammadu Buhari.
President Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, in his speech described Buhari as a man who earned the trust of the ordinary Nigerians even in death.
However, before reading President Tinubu’s speech, Shettima quipped: “When you are in power, your friends know you, when you are out of power, you know your friends.
“I remember I was in Ethiopia for the Green Africa Initiative when we got wind of the late President’s illness. The President called me and said, ‘Kashim, I have just learnt that President Buhari is ill in London. Please kindly proceed to London and find out what is happening, and ensure he lacks nothing.
“That episode remains a very vivid and everlasting memory for me. I got to see him in the hospital in London. His doctor ushered me in. He wanted to wake him up, but I said, “No, don’t bother.
“I came out with tears in my eyes and met Zara and Yusuf at the door of the ICU. It was a moving spectacle. It was an emotional moment. To have also been given the honour of escorting his body on behalf of President Tinubu is one of the greatest honours he and the family of late Buhari did to me, and I remain eternally grateful,” he narrated his personal experience.
Reading President Tinubu’s speech, he said: “We are gathered here, one year after the passing of former President Buhari, because the life he lived is not a life this nation is capable of forgetting.”
“He has entered the consciousness of Nigeria, and it is in the nature of such men that their memory outlives the living.
So we assemble not out of obligation, but out of the necessity of reflection, to consider again what President Buhari meant to us as a friend, as a leader, as a father, as a husband, and as a citizen of this great country.
“President Buhari and I were co-travellers on the long road of politics and national development. We worked together through seasons of difficulty and seasons of hope. We shared a deep and abiding passion for a renewed, progressive, and prosperous Nigeria—a nation held together by brotherhood, settled in peace, and generous in abundance so that no citizen is left outside the circle of its promise.
“He gave everything he had to this country, and he gave it without reservation. He served with courage. He served with conviction and with a patriotism that never asked what the nation could return to him. From his years as a military leader to his transformation into a democrat and a determined defender of constitutional order, he embodied the very spirit of change and nation-building.
“Few men are permitted two lives in the service of one country. He was given that rare privilege, and he used it well. I want to say something about him that we do not say often enough. Power ordinarily exhausts the affection of the governed. That is the common course of office, and every one of us who has carried it understands that course.
“Yet, when he laid down the burden of leadership, and through all the years of his retirement, and in his final months, when illness had taken the strength from his body, the trust of ordinary Nigerians did not depart from him. It followed him into private life. It sat with him in Daura. It waited outside his door.
“Such constancy, surviving the hallway of public office and the long quiet that comes after it, is the sturdiest inheritance any leader can leave a nation. It is not given; it is earned. And it is earned only through a lifetime of agreement between what a man says and what a man is.
“We gather to celebrate his memory and to honour a man of real character, a leader who taught by the example of his own life and who departed, leaving behind an inheritance that continues to instruct us.
“We honour him in death as we honoured him in life, and we do so without embellishment because his life required none. He had no appetite for flattery when he was among us, and he will have none for it now,” he said.
Earlier, Gowon described him as a man who did his best for Nigeria and served with integrity, fairness, recalling how he paid school fees for his children.
“My relationship with General Buhari goes back many years. We served together as soldiers, and all of us did our best to keep this country united. I knew him as a gallant soldier and as a man who earned respect.
“Later, after our retirement from the military, General Buhari decided to go into politics. He did his best to seek political leadership that would support his ambition to become President. He contested several times but was unsuccessful.
“However, when he joined hands with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, they formed a strong political alliance. The support he received from Tinubu certainly helped him to emerge as President. Their partnership remained strong throughout his administration.
“As President Buhari prepared to leave office, he gave his full support to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to succeed him as President. I remember clearly how committed President Buhari was to ensuring that Tinubu received the same support that Tinubu had given him during his own presidential journey.
“This is something for which we must give President Buhari credit. He stood firmly behind President Tinubu so that he could continue serving Nigeria and do his best for the country, just as Buhari himself sought to do.
“I would like to say that President Buhari did his best for Nigeria. His sense of integrity and fairness knew no bounds.
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On a personal note, while I was in the United Kingdom, I found myself without the means to pay my children’s school fees. I appealed to him, and he ensured that my family received assistance to pay those school fees,” Gowon said.
In his introductory remarks, Chairman of the Central Organising Committee (COC), Boss Mustapha, noted: “We gather here to mark the first anniversary of the passing of our leader and former President Buhari, who departed this life on July 13 last year. Today is not merely about recalling the passing of a former President. It is an occasion to reflect on a life of service and to preserve for future generations the memory of a man who devoted much of his adult life to the service of Nigeria.”
“His passing came as a profound shock to the nation and elicited an extraordinary outpouring of grief across Nigeria, Africa, and many parts of the world. The depth of that affection and respect is reflected in the Book of Tributes and Condolences that shall formally be presented at this memorial event.
“His funeral in Daura brought together his successor, President Tinubu, former Presidents and former Heads of State, delegations from friendly nations and international organisations, elected public officials, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and representatives of diverse groups and communities from across Nigeria.
“It also drew an overwhelming number of ordinary Nigerians, young and old, men and women, including many of the poor and vulnerable, whose welfare always occupied a special place in his heart.
“The breadth and diversity of that gathering, much like the distinguished assembly here today, speak eloquently to the place President Buhari occupies in our national history. People of different political persuasions, faiths, generations, and backgrounds have come together in respect for a life that left an indelible mark on our country.
“For those of us who were privileged to work closely with him, today’s remembrance is not only a national occasion; it is also deeply personal. We remember a leader whose convictions shaped the decisions he took, whose sense of duty remained unwavering, and whose commitment to the Nigerian state defined his years in public service.
“Your presence here today is a powerful tribute to his memory. It is also a profound expression of solidarity with his family, especially Her Excellency, Mrs Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, who is here with her children and other members of the family,” he said.
Also present at the event were former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, former National Chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu, and Umar Ganduje, State governors like Kwara, AbdulRaman Abdulfatai, Ogun, Dapo Abiodun, Borno, Babagana Zulum, Bauchi, Bala Mohammed, Jigawa, Malam Umar Namadi, Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, among others.
Others are former and serving Ministers like Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, Simon Lalung, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, Rauf Aregbesola, former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, former Army chiefs, Lucky Irabor, Tukur Yusufu Buratai, Senators like Adeleke Olorunnimbe Mamora, Ahmed Lawan, among many other dignitaries.
However, conspicuously absent were Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, almost all the South East governors, his former ministers, Rotimi Amaechi, Chris Ngige and many others.
In a related development, former Chief of Army Staff and erstwhile Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai (retd.), also paid glowing tribute to the late former president , describing him as a disciplined, resolute and patriotic leader whose unwavering support enabled the Nigerian military to make significant gains against the Boko Haram insurgency.
In a statement marking the first anniversary of Buhari’s passing, Buratai reflected on his years of service under the former President, recalling that Buhari gave him a clear mandate upon appointing him Chief of Army Staff in July 2015.
According to Buratai, Buhari’s directive was unequivocal: to degrade Boko Haram and restore Nigeria’s territorial integrity in the North East.
“He provided the strategic direction and the unwavering political will that empowered the Armed Forces to reclaim our land,” Buratai said, adding that the military victories recorded during the period were a direct reflection of Buhari’s firm commitment to national security.
The retired army chief described Buhari as a leader whose confidence in the Armed Forces never faltered, noting that the former President trusted military commanders to carry out their responsibilities while maintaining high standards of accountability.
Buratai also recalled the personal trust Buhari placed in him, saying the former President linked that confidence to the historical loyalty of Buratai’s late father to his ideals.
He said he considered that trust a great responsibility and was proud that he and the military leadership did not disappoint.
Describing Buhari as a symbol of integrity and modesty, Buratai said the late President lived a life defined by honesty, simplicity and selfless service to Nigeria.
He noted that Buhari rejected ostentation throughout his public life and retired to his hometown of Daura with the same humility he displayed while in office.
He further said Buhari’s leadership helped redefine Nigeria’s democratic landscape and laid a strong foundation for the country’s security.
Extending condolences to Buhari’s family, Buratai said Nigeria had lost “a pillar of honesty,” adding that although a year had passed since the former President’s death, his courage, dedication and service to the nation would remain enduring.
The retired Army General added to his tribute prayers for the repose of Buhari’s soul, asking Almighty Allah to forgive his shortcomings and grant him Al-Jannah Firdaus.
