It is with a deeply heavy heart that I received the news of the passing of my friend, my brother, my course mate, and a fellow soldier in the journey of nationhood — President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR.It is with a deeply heavy heart that I received the news of the passing of my friend, my brother, my course mate, and a fellow soldier in the journey of nationhood — President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR.
Our paths crossed in 1962 when we both joined the Nigerian Military Training College in Kaduna. From those early days, Muhammadu stood out — quiet yet resolute, principled yet humble, deeply patriotic and fiercely loyal to Nigeria. Through the years, we shared trenches and trials, dreams and disappointments, victories and moments of reflection. Our bond was forged not only by military training, but by a shared commitment to the ideals of service, discipline, and love for country.
In the course of our long careers, fate placed both of us in leadership at different times, and in very different circumstances. But in all, Buhari remained consistent in his belief in integrity, order, and the dignity of public office. He served Nigeria with a deep sense of responsibility and unwavering commitment, even when the road was lonely or misunderstood.
Beyond the uniform and the public glare, I knew him as a deeply spiritual man, a man who found solace in faith, and who carried himself with the humility of someone who believed in a higher calling. We may not have agreed on everything — as brothers often don’t — but I never once doubted his sincerity or his patriotism.
His passing today is not just the loss of a former Head of State, or a two-term civilian President. It is the loss of a symbol — a man whose life embodied the transition of Nigeria from the old guard to the new republic. A man who, even in retirement, remained a moral compass to many, and an example of modesty in public life.
To his beloved wife Aisha, his children, grandchildren, and the nation he loved and served — I extend my deepest condolences. May Allah (SWT), in His infinite mercy, forgive his shortcomings, accept his deeds, and grant him Aljannatul Firdaus.
May his legacy endure.
General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, GCFR
Former President, Federal Republic of Nigeria
13th July 2025
Our paths crossed in 1962 when we both joined the Nigerian Military Training College in Kaduna. From those early days, Muhammadu stood out — quiet yet resolute, principled yet humble, deeply patriotic and fiercely loyal to Nigeria. Through the years, we shared trenches and trials, dreams and disappointments, victories and moments of reflection. Our bond was forged not only by military training, but by a shared commitment to the ideals of service, discipline, and love for country.
In the course of our long careers, fate placed both of us in leadership at different times, and in very different circumstances. But in all, Buhari remained consistent in his belief in integrity, order, and the dignity of public office. He served Nigeria with a deep sense of responsibility and unwavering commitment, even when the road was lonely or misunderstood.
Beyond the uniform and the public glare, I knew him as a deeply spiritual man, a man who found solace in faith, and who carried himself with the humility of someone who believed in a higher calling. We may not have agreed on everything — as brothers often don’t — but I never once doubted his sincerity or his patriotism.
His passing today is not just the loss of a former Head of State, or a two-term civilian President. It is the loss of a symbol — a man whose life embodied the transition of Nigeria from the old guard to the new republic. A man who, even in retirement, remained a moral compass to many, and an example of modesty in public life.
To his beloved wife Aisha, his children, grandchildren, and the nation he loved and served — I extend my deepest condolences. May Allah (SWT), in His infinite mercy, forgive his shortcomings, accept his deeds, and grant him Aljannatul Firdaus.
May his legacy endure.
General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, GCFR
Former President, Federal Republic of Nigeria
13th July 2025
There are moments in the life of a nation when she must pause—not out of routine, but out of reverence.
Today is such a moment, as we gather in solemn remembrance of President Muhammadu Buhari—a man forged in the furnace of battle and tempered in the trials of governance. A man who gave everything he had to a country that asked everything of him.
President Muhammadu Buhari was not perfect. No leader is. But he was principled. He stood for something. And in a world where it is easy to chase headlines, he chose instead to chase honor. Where others sought glory, he sought duty.
As a minister in his cabinet, appointed by him, I saw President Buhari unplugged. He was not flamboyant—far from it. His voice was measured. His steps, deliberate. His public demeanor, austere. But beneath that calm exterior beat the heart of a patriot—unyielding, unbending, and utterly uninterested in personal comfort when duty called.
He served this nation first in uniform, and decades later, returned to serve it once more—this time in flowing agbada. Whether clad in khaki or in civilian robes, through coups and campaigns, criticisms and crises, he never wavered in his belief in the promise of Nigeria. His legacy is marked by monumental achievements—too many, too vast, and too significant for me to enumerate within the time allotted for this tribute.
President Buhari did not merely pass through the corridors of power; he left his boots and his imprints in them. He believed that discipline mattered. That integrity mattered. That leadership, even when lonely, must be anchored in something greater than power. He did not seek to ride waves of popular acclaim; he walked, with steadiness and often in solitude, along the ridge of national conscience.
And let us be honest—he was tough. He was a soldier who did not flinch under fire, a leader who did not flee from responsibility, and above all, a Nigerian whose loyalty to this nation was never up for sale. His toughness was born not of pride, but of patriotism—a fierce, unrelenting belief that Nigeria, with all its challenges, was still worth fighting for.
And yes, some disagreed with him. That is the nature of democracy. But even his fiercest critics will admit: he did not pilfer the nation’s purse, nor pander to its pleasures. He remained, to the very end, a sentinel of Spartan simplicity and austere integrity.
His life reminds us of a truth often forgotten in this noisy age—that greatness is not always loud, and that history, in its wisdom, sometimes reserves its most solemn applause for those who labored not for fame, but for legacy.
Let it be said by generations to come, that a man once walked this land with a firm gait, a steady gaze, and an iron sense of duty. His name was Muhammadu Buhari.
May God bless his memory.
May God bless the Republic he served.