Hot Source•Tinubu goes above and beyond to honour his predecessor, creating new presidential precedent
DejiElumoye, ChuksOkochain Abuja, Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa, Francis Sardauna in Katsina and Dike Onwuamaeze in Lagos
Two days after he passed away at a London clinic, ex-President MuhammaduBuhari was yesterday buried in a blaze of glory with full military honours at his favourite spot, where he normally held court at his Daura residence in Katsina State.
President Bola Tinubu personally received the remains of his predecessor, as part of the final rites of honour, at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport, Katsina. He led other dignitaries to the sleepy town to pay their last respects to the late former Nigerian leader.
The President spared no expense and personally participated in the activities to honour the late president, creating a new presidential precedent.
Just as the family of late former President ShehuShagari have complained that Buhari got the honour he did not accord ShehuShagari who died in 2018 when he Buhari was President.
Buhari merely sent his then Secretary to Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha to lead a Federal Government’s delegation to Shagari’s burial while he stayed back in Abuja.
In the United States of America, where Nigeria copied its presidential system from, the passing of a former president is usually a big and solemn ceremony – where all living former presidents across party lines gather in unity to honour the departed.
With the precedent now set, other former presidents can now hope to be accorded similar honour when they pass on. It’s all about the institution of the presidency.
The Shagari family commended President Tinubu for setting a new precedent on how to honour a former President who passes on.
However, according to a release by presidential spokesperson, BayoOnanuga, Tinubu arrived at the airport from Abuja at 1:42pm and inspected a guard of honour, before the Nigerian Air Force One plane conveying the remains of his predecessor landed at 1:51pm.
Vice President KashimShettima, Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, Buhari’s wife, Aisha, and other family members accompanied Buhari’s remains to Nigeria.
Tinubu, along Shettima, President UmaruSissocoEmbaló of Guinea-Bissau, Prime Minister of Niger, Ali LamineZeine, former President of Niger, IssoufouMahamadou, and former Vice President YemiOsinbajo, received the casket of the late president at the foot of the aircraft.
A joint team of military pallbearers comprising nine senior officers laid the casket, draped in the Nigerian flag, on a trolley.
The team included Major-General Mohammed Usman, Major-General Oluwafemi Williams, Major-General ShuaibuNuhu, Rear Admiral Suleiman Dahun, Rear Admiral Jonathan Ajodo, Rear Admiral Samuel Ngatuwa, Air Vice Marshal Adeniyi Herbert Amesinlola, Air Vice Marshal Idi Sanni, and Air Vice Marshal ObinnaObiabaka. Major-General Mike Alechenu coordinated the team.
Katsina State Governor, DikkoRadda, was on the ground to receive the guests of the state. First Lady, Senator OluremiTinubu, also attended the burial ceremony, having joined them at the airport.
Minister of information, Muhammad Idris, and Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, AbubakarBagudu, were also in Katsina for the funeral.
Dignitaries who came to Daura for the event included Vice President AtikuAbubakar; former Ogun State governor, Senator IbikunleAmosun (who was said to have decided the burial spot); and former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, AbubakarMalami.
Several state governors were in Daura to honour the former president. They included Zamfara State Governor, DaudaLawal, Ogun State Governor, Prince DapoAbiodun, Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, Lagos State Governor, and BabajideSanwo-Olu.
Equally there to pay their last respects to Buhari were former transport minister, ChibuikeAmaechi; former Borno State Governor, Ali Modu Sheriff; former Zamfara State Governor, Abdul-Aziz Yari; and former Sokoto State Governor, AminuTambuwal, among several others.
The pallbearers wheeled the former leader’s casket in a slow march, in sync with the hymn “God Be With You Till We Meet Again,” passing through a full military guard of honour comprising six officers and 96 soldiers drawn from the Nigerian Armed Forces.
Tinubu and others walked behind the casket trolley in a solemn procession. The pallbearers escorted the casket into a waiting military hearse for the one-hour journey to Daura, for the final burial.
On arrival in Daura, Buhari’s corpse was taken to his residence, amid tight security, where top government officials and his close relatives paid growing tributes. Thereafter, his remains were conveyed to a mini helipad located a few meters away from his residence for funeral rites in accordance with Islamic injunction about 4:34pm.
The state funeral featured full military honours, including a 21-gun salute.
Immediately after the funeral prayers, led by Imam Hassan Yusuf, the corpse of the former Nigerian president, flanked by an unprecedented crowd, was taken to his compound for final interment at 5:15pm.
Thousands of mourners within and outside Nigeria attended the funeral of the former president.
The mourners, dressed in multi-coloured traditional robes, sat quietly under the shade of trees outside the late president’s residence under the watch of armed police officers and soldiers.
THISDAY observed that many businesses and shops were shut and side roads were clogged with vehicles along the Daura-Mai’Adua road.
Meanwhile, tributes continued to pour in from across the country and beyond for Buhari, who passed away in London at 82 after a protracted illness.
Atiku: Buhari ‘One of Nigeria’s Towering Sons’
Former Vice President AtikuAbubakar paid a moving tribute to the late President MuhammaduBuhari, describing him as “one of Nigeria’s towering sons” and a leader who bore the weight of national service with unwavering determination.
In a personally signed statement released on the day of Buhari’s burial in Daura, Atiku said the former president’s passing “has cast a long shadow across the land, stirring reflections on legacy, sacrifice, and the fleeting nature of power”.
Atiku added, “It is an honour to be present in Daura, to stand shoulder to shoulder with his family, his kinsmen, and the Nigerian people as we commit him to Mother Earth.”
Reflecting on their political rivalry, Atiku stated that while he and Buhari often stood on “opposite shores of the political river,” death reminded all that what ultimately endured was shared humanity.
“In his own way, he bore the burden of leadership with unwavering will and served the country he so dearly loved with a sense of purpose shaped by his convictions,” Atiku said.
The former vice president extended his condolences to the Buhari family, the people of Katsina State, and the nation at large, praying that God, in His infinite mercy, will grant the late president eternal rest.
“May the Almighty forgive his shortcomings, accept his return, and grant him AljannahFirdaus,” Atiku stated.
The former vice president concluded with a broader message to all Nigerians, urging reflection on the deeper meaning of leadership and legacy.
“Let this moment also remind us all, leaders and citizens alike, that the true measure of life is not in the length of our days, but in the depth of our service and the footprints we leave on the sands of time,” Atiku stated.
Gbajabiamila: He Was an Incomparable Statesman
Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbakabiamila, said since he received the news of Buhari’s death, “I have been left with a profound sense of bereavement, a consciousness of a loss that is too deep for words.
“I considered President MuhammaduBuhari a friend and a father figure. He was a man of dignity and integrity, steadfast in his resolve and tenacious in his determination to follow through on the commitments he made, whether to himself or his associates, family and our nation.
“He was an incomparable statesman, who occupied a unique space in the psyche and history of a country he loved and served for over sixty years. Life teaches us the inevitability of death and the certainty of loss. We learn this lesson through grief at the passing of friends and family, colleagues, and acquaintances.
“Eventually, if you live long enough, you become steeled by the anguish of compounding loss. Yet, ever so often, death surprises you even when it shouldn’t.”
Gbajabiamila added, “Here we are, a nation in mourning, shocked by a loss we could foresee, but could never be prepared for because MuhammaduBuhari, the soldier, the administrator and the politician, has been so long a part of our national consciousness that it seems impossible to imagine any other reality.
“It will forever be one of the great honours of my life that I got to know, work with and enjoy the friendship of MuhammaduBuhari. As Speaker of the House of Representatives, I enjoyed the unflinching support of President Buhari throughout the tenacious machinations of many who sought to use him and his office to undermine the parliament for the sake of political interests.
“When these machinations became a distraction and I went to him, he assured me that only the national interests mattered to him and that as long as I continued to serve that interest, I would have his support.
“As was his nature, he remained true to his word and thoroughly resisted those attempts to sabotage the House and, in doing so, enabled a period of stability that allowed the 9th National Assembly to be a legislature of policy innovation dedicated to the service of the Nigerian people.
“This, too, is his legacy, and it is a worthy legacy indeed. I am glad that I had the opportunity many times to thank him for his support and to appreciate him for his service to our country.
“Like all of us, MuhammaduBuhari was not infallible. Over the course of his decades in the public eye, he made his mistakes and his imperfections were inevitably magnified by being in full view. That is the price of public life.
“Yet, despite his mistakes one thing was always certain, he was an honourable and dignified man, a fine soldier and statesman who loved his country passionately. Whatever else, we must remember that and honour the life he lived and the contributions he made to nation building.
“My family and I extend our condolences to the former first lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, the children, and the extended Buhari family for the loss of their patriarch. I urge them to be consoled by the profound accomplishments of President Buhari’s life, and the lessons of tenacity, dignity and grace that he embodied throughout his journey here on earth.
“To all his friends and supporters across the country, let us continue the work of serving our nation so that by our joint efforts we may achieve the cause of a nation at peace, prosperous beyond our wildest dreams. This is the highest tribute we can pay to this great statesman of our country.”
Pantami: His Name Was Synonymous with Integrity
In his tribute, former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami, shared personal insights into the character of Buhari, whom he said he lived with for 25 years.
Pantami made the remarks during a condolence visit to the late president’s residence in Daura.
He described Buhari as a man of unwavering integrity, patriotism, and discipline, adding that their close interaction over the years strengthened his belief in these qualities.
Pantami stated, “MuhammaduBuhari’s name is synonymous with integrity. One may argue, if you don’t know him, but for those of us who interacted with him for several years, there is no doubt that his name is synonymous with integrity.
“I lived with him for 25 years and Almighty is my witness, I have never doubted that integrity through my interactions with him.” Pantami added that Buhari’s legacy would endure through his example of critical thinking and devotion to the national interest.
Bayelsa APC: Buhari Changed Course of Nigerian Politics
All Progressives Congress (APC), Bayelsa State Chapter, joined the rest of humanity to mourn Buhari’s passing, saying, in a statement by the state publicity secretary, Mr. DoifieBuokoribo, that the former president changed the direction of politics in the country.
The statement said, “In a world where politics is often defined by elitism and standoffishness, the late President MuhammaduBuhari stood out as a unique example of a statesman and influencer who was popular with the masses and respected by the elite. He was a leader who embodied the values of courage, discipline, integrity, and compassion.”
Bayelsa APC added, “Buhari’s commitment to duty and the nation was unwavering, both as a soldier and a politician. He led with a strong sense of responsibility, which prioritised the well-being of the people and security of the nation.
“He brought to politics a strategic mind-set that combined the discipline and nerve of a soldier and the diplomacy of a politician. He determinedly went for the presidency of his country, braving all odds, until victory came his way in 2015.
“It was sweet victory, one that changed the course of politics in the country, being the first time that an incumbent president would lose to the opposition.
“Buhari contested for the presidency for a consecutive four times, in 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015. He stayed the course until some day came in 2015, when he finally met his goal.”
According to the APC state publicity secretary in Bayelsa, “Buhari’s character also shined through in the military. He held several important command and staff positions, as well as political appointments during his distinguished military career.”
The statement alsi said, “Buhari’s quiet strength and unshakable resolve endeared him to many across social classes. He was a friend of the poor, and a rallying point for the elite.
“His lifestyle of humility, transparency, and simplicity are virtues that will continue to inspire generations for a long time.”
MAN: His Tenure Brought Attention to the Importance of Manufacturing
Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) also mourned the death of Buhari.
According to the president of MAN, Mr. Francis Meshioye, Buhari implemented policies aimed at promoting economic growth, improving infrastructure, and enhancing Nigeria’s industrial development.
Meshioye said, “His tenure brought attention to the importance of manufacturing as a driver of economic development and job creation.
“Though the economy experienced difficulties during his tenure, President Buhari granted the association audience to proffer solutions to mitigate the binding constraints that limited the performance of the manufacturing sector. He also provided solutions to some of the challenges confronting manufacturers.”
Meshioye added, “We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, associates, and all Nigerians during this solemn time.
“As the nation reflects over the life and career of President MuhammaduBuhari, MAN calls upon all Nigerians to honour his memory.
“We should also reflect on his achievements and continue to work toward the advancements of manufacturing.
“Government should reflect over his policies and recommit to the creation of a conducive atmosphere for sustainable economic development and the upliftment of the overall wellbeing of the citizenry.”
