“Lead as a servant, never as a master.” - Fmr President Muhammadu Buhari
That was the quiet but powerful advice Baba Buhari gave me in 2023, just after I emerged as Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives. Those words have since become my compass in leadership.
I met President Muhammadu Buhari in 2011, when I was first elected under the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) - a party he birthed with his integrity. From that moment, he was more than a leader to me. He became a mentor, a moral compass, and a steady source of guidance.
I remember him under the scorching sun in Zaria, commissioning my constituency projects - an honour that deeply moved me and the people we served together. His presence wasn’t grandiose. It was grounded, humble, and filled with genuine love for Nigeria and its people.
Baba Buhari did not chase applause or affluence. He lived with principle, led with discipline, and served with unmatched devotion. Whether as military ruler or civilian president, he remained unwavering in his belief in integrity, simplicity, and sacrifice.
He respected the institutions of democracy, upheld the independence of the legislature, and signed landmark reforms that expanded political participation and reformed our electoral system. He was truly Mai Gaskiya - the honest one - not just in name, but in soul.
Today, as we honour his memory in the same FEC Chamber he once presided over with quiet strength, I say this:
Your example endures, Baba.
In integrity. In simplicity. In sacrifice.
Nigeria salutes your service.
And history will remember you kindly.
Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, PhD, GCON
Speaker, House of Representatives