‘President Bola Tinubu on Thursday led the tributes during a special Federal Executive Council Meeting held in honour of former President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House in Abuja.
Buhari, who died in a London hospital on Sunday, was buried in Daura on Tuesday, with President Tinubu in attendance.
The special FEC meeting was attended by the leadership of the National Assembly, members of the Federal Executive Council, the leadership of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, and Buhari’s children, among other government officials.
In his tribute, Tinubu said that the former president led the country with restraint, governed with dignity, and bore the burdens of leadership without complaint.
The President hailed his predecessor as “first among soldiers in war, first among citizens in peace, and first, without ambition or flattery, in the hearts of his fellow citizens”.
“Yet it was in the quiet and unadorned settings of his private life that his true greatness was revealed: pious without show, just without cruelty, humane without sentimentality, temperate without coldness, and sincere without guile.
“Steady in posture and spirit, dignified in bearing, and commanding by his very presence, his example guided all who encountered him. Still, it endures.
He noted that to his peers, Buhari was respectful and without pretence, and to those who served under him, he was kind without condescension.
“And, to those whom he loved most intimately, he was unfailingly tender, loyal, and good. His life was a rebuke to vice and a refuge for virtue. The purity of his private character gave radiance to the discipline and integrity of his public service,” he said.
The President added, “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. Such was the man Nigeria has lost. Such was the man for whom our nation now mourns.
“President Buhari’s life was one of austere honour. He stood, always, ramrod straight; unmoved by the temptation of power, unseduced by applause and unafraid of the loneliness that often visits those who do what is right, rather than what is popular. His was a quiet courage, a righteousness that never announced itself. His patriotism was lived more in action than in words.
“His life traced the arc of Nigeria’s journey. Born before independence, he became a young soldier in the struggle to keep our nation whole. In war and in peace, he served with vigilance and determination, as if the task of watching over Nigeria had been assigned to him alone.”
Tinubu thanked the Inter-Ministerial Committee, led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, and Governor Dikko Radda, for organising a befitting state funeral for the former president within 48 hours.
He, once again, extended his heartfelt condolences to Aisha Buhari, her children, the entire Buhari family, the government and people of Katsina State, and all who knew and loved the former president.
“Our gratitude will remain with President Buhari’s family members who provided him with the comfort and strength to serve our nation in various capacities throughout his over 50 years of public service. We honour his service, reflect on his legacy, and pray for the peaceful repose of his soul,” Tinubu added.
