By Cross Udo, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu yesterday paid an emotional tribute to his predecessor, hailing the late Muhammadu Buhari’s devotion to Nigeria as ‘patriotism lived more in actions than in words.’
The tribute was delivered during a special Federal Executive Council (FEC) session at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, convened in honour of the former president.
In a symbolic move, President Tinubu announced that the University of Maiduguri would be renamed in Buhari’s honour.
The expanded FEC session was attended by top Nigerian officials, including the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas,
Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibril, Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, Head of Civil Service, Dr. Didi Walson-Jack,
Secretary to the Government, Senator George Akume, Governor of Kwara State, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, and the Governor of Katsina State, Dikko Radda
Buhari’s children were present, though the former First Lady, Aisha Buhari, was absent as chief mourner.
The former President, who governed Nigeria from 2015 to 2023, passed away on July 13 in London after a prolonged illness. His burial in Daura, Katsina State, was conducted on Tuesday according to Islamic rites.
President Tinubu arrived in the Council Chambers at approximately 5:27 p.m., where the majority of the cabinet members were already seated.
After the national anthem, President Tinubu, in his tribute, said that the late President’s patriotism was lived out more in actions than in words.
He also said that the late President Buhari was respectful without pretence to his peers and was kind to those who served under him, adding that in death, he maintained the serenity that defined him in life.
He said, “Today, we gather under a heavy shadow, drawn from the silence that surrounds a departed leader and the immense weight of a life whose absence will be felt for generations. We meet to honour a man whose presence once commanded this very room, whose voice once summoned the best in us, and whose convictions never bowed, even to the strongest winds of public opinion.
“President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, former Head of State and former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has gone to rest.
“He was first among soldiers in war, first among citizens in peace, and 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.
“To his peers, he was respectful and without pretence. 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. 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.”
*Says ex-president maintained his signature serenity in life, in death
Tinubu said that the late Buhari’s life was marked by quiet courage and righteousness that never announced itself, adding, “His patriotism was lived more in action than in words.”
While acknowledging the services of the late President to the country, Tinubu said, “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 peace, he served with vigilance and determination, as if the task of watching over Nigeria had been assigned to him alone.
“From the battlefield to the corridors of power, he remained faithful to the task. He governed the Northeastern State and served as its Head of State. Years later, he returned to chair the Petroleum Trust Fund, which he administered with Spartan rigour and complete fidelity to the public good.”
Tinubu also recognised the role played by Buhari in the present government under the ruling All Progressives Congress.
He said, “Yet, with all that he had achieved, his most enduring legacy would be carved in democracy. In a time when many had lost hope that change was possible, Muhammadu Buhari put his faith in the people of this country.
“We stood together, he and I. Alongside others drawn from across the political spectrum, regions and tongues, we formed an alliance that enabled Nigeria to experience its first accurate democratic transfer of power from one ruling party to another. When he was sworn in as our party’s first elected President, he led with restraint, governed with dignity, and bore the burdens of leadership without complaint.
“Those who knew him most intimately understood that the authority of that exalted office never changed him. In the face of pressure, he remained calm. In the face of crisis, he remained resolute. In the face of triumph, he remained modest. Most remarkably, he retained his jovial spirit.”
Buhari, he further stated, left the scene when his administration came to an end without in any way interfering in any form.
“When his tenure ended, he returned to Daura; not to command from the shadows or to hold court, but to live as he always had, never seeking to impose his will but content to let others carry the nation forward.
“President Buhari was not a perfect man-no leader is–but he was, in every sense of the word, a good man, a decent man, an honourable man. His record will be debated, as all legacies are. Still, the character he brought to public life, the moral force he carried, the incorruptible standard he represented, will not be forgotten. His life was one lived in complete service to Nigeria and in fidelity to God.
“Now, he rests. And we who remain must carry the memory of his life as a standard to guide us. Let us honour him not only with words, but with humility in power, discipline in service, compassion in governance, and fearlessness in the pursuit of justice.
“On Tuesday, July 15, 2025, a grateful nation bid farewell to one of her most illustrious sons. It was a profound honour for me, alongside Vice President Kashim Shettima, to lead his funeral procession to Daura and witness his burial in a dignified manner befitting a great and noble leader.
“In this period of national mourning, I once again extend my heartfelt condolences to Hajia Aisha Buhari, her children, the entire Buhari family, the government and people of Katsina State, and all who knew and loved him.
“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.
“Mai Gaskiya, The People’s general, the Farmer President – your duty is done.”
In his tribute, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, described the late president as a principled leader who stood for honour over popularity.
“President Buhari was not perfect. No leader is. But he was principled. Where others sought glory, he sought duty,” Akpabio said. “He walked, with steadiness and often in solitude, along the ridge of national conscience. His toughness was born not of pride, but of patriotism.”
Akpabio, who served as Minister under Buhari, praised his former boss as a “sentinel of Spartan simplicity” and “a Nigerian whose loyalty to this nation was never up for sale.”
“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 were deliberate.
“His public demeanour was austere. But beneath that calm exterior beat the heart of a patriot—unyielding, unbending, and utterly uninterested in personal comfort when duty called.”
On his part, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, said: “President Buhari was no ordinary figure in our national journey. He embodied quiet strength, moral clarity and an unshakable sense of duty.
“At a time when society was seduced by materialism, he chose a life of modest means and meaningful service. He was devoted to family and steadfast in his Islamic faith. His humour and humility softened his disciplined exterior.
“Buhari’s belief in the brevity of life and the certainty of judgment shaped his ascetic lifestyle and guided his public conduct. He lived not for applause or affluence but for principle, for country and the cause of a better Nigeria. To me, he was more than a leader. He was a mentor, a “moral compass and a source of guidance.”
Other people who delivered tributes at the session were the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Didi Walson Jack, Governor Uzodimma, the Ministers of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Budget and Economic Planning, Solid Minerals Development, Health, Works and Women Affairs, Festus Keyamo, Atiku Abubakar, Dele Alake, Alli Pate, Senator Dave Umahi and Hajia Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim respectively.
The son of the late President, Yusuf Muhammadu Buhari, who attended the session alongside his siblings, thanked President Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, the wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu and the wife of the Vice President, Nana Shettima.
He also thanked the leadership of the National Assembly, the Service Chiefs and members of the Federal Executive Council for the honour done to his father.
*Buhari served Nigeria with unblemished integrity, walked the talk-Keyamo
Meanwhile, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has stated that the late President Muhammadu Buhari served the nation with unblemished integrity.
Keyamo, who spoke at the Special Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting convened by the President, Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, at the Council Chambers, Presidential Villa, ABUJA, also described Buhari as a personality who walked the talk, in terms of his leadership style.
His words eulogising the late President went thus, “The passing of late President Muhammadu Buhari has evoked different emotions and reactions from the length and breadth of Nigeria and even beyond.
“This is expectedly so because he was one of only two persons in the history of our country who had the opportunity to govern this country twice – first as Military Head of State and later as a democratically-elected President whose actions and policies shaped this country in many respects that affected and defined the lives and destinies of millions of people.
“However, one consensus amid these different emotions, opinions and reactions from friends, foes and associates alike is that President Muhammadu Buhari served this country completely unblemished.
“Whether you choose to judge him harshly or kindly, the consensus is that he embodied honesty and integrity in public office.
“He was a President who led by example, who walked the talk, who inspired integrity, uncompromising transparency and accountability in public office. He was a moral and ethical compass in governance. He served this country with a good conscience, the fear of God and extraordinary discipline.
“In my immediate reaction after his death, I wrote that “they don’t make them like him anymore; not given to the primitive acquisition of unearned wealth, frugal in living, austere in lifestyle, not inclined to showboating and incredibly honest to the core”.
“The notion of his transparency and honesty was not just a flash in the pan; he was trusted and tested over time because he served at different levels and in various capacities.
“He was a Platoon Commander, a Commanding Officer, a Brigade Commander, a General Officer Commanding (GOC), a Governor of the old North Eastern Region, a Federal Commissioner, a Federal Minister,
Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), Military Head of State, and finally, a democratic President. Yet, he was never found wanting.
“I was privileged to serve him in different capacities, and I can attest to his rare discipline. I was his Campaign Spokesperson in the 2019 Presidential Elections and then his Minister of State (In the Ministry of Niger-Delta Affairs and later, the Ministry of Labour and Employment).
“From these vantage positions, I saw that he was a fierce stickler for hierarchical order and discipline. The Buhari I know will never sacrifice hierarchical order and discipline on the altar of personal relationships, family ties or friendships.
“Once a subordinate can no longer work with a superior, no matter how close that subordinate was to President Buhari, the subordinate would be sacrificed for the government to function smoothly. There are several examples that I know you all remember, and as Minister of State, I appreciated the support I received from him.
“Only very few people in history have the grace and opportunity to reinvent themselves at the highest level and to re-craft their legacies.
“From the image of a no-nonsense and stern military dictator of the 1980’s who truncated democracy and rode roughshod over the Rule of Law, to the image of a frustrated serial election loser, and then to the hero and symbol of Change and Hope that the nation chose to defeat a behemoth ruling party and sitting President in 2015 for the first time in our history and finally to the legacy of a sitting President who presided over a peaceful, free and fair democratic process that produced his successor in office and peacefully handed over power – this is the stuff of which thrilling, fictional movies are made.
“That is why for millions of people he was an enigma in life and an enigma in death. He oscillated between one perception and the other, an extreme perception diametrically different from the first.
“At the end, we can conveniently say that President Muhammadu Buhari ticked all the boxes that we can use to qualify a quintessential patriot, a fine officer and an exceptional Statesman. He came, he fought, and he conquered. He has finished the course and run a good race. Goodbye, Mai Gaskiya.”
