Senate President Godswill Akpabio has paid tribute to the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, stating that even his staunchest critics would acknowledge that he served Nigeria without personal enrichment from public coffers.
Akpabio made these remarks during an expanded Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting convened in Abuja to honour the departed leader. Addressing the gathering, Akpabio praised Buhari as a resilient and unwavering leader.
He said Buhari was honest, tough, did not flinch under fire and was a leader who did not flee from responsibility.
According to him, Buhari’s loyalty to this nation was never up for sale.
Akpabio further explained that Buhari’s firmness was rooted in a deep sense of patriotism and an unyielding conviction in Nigeria’s worth, despite its challenges.
The Senate President acknowledged the democratic nature of differing opinions. “That is the nature of democracy.” However, he emphatically added, “But even his fiercest critics will admit that he did not pilfer the nation’s boss, nor pander to its pleasures to the very end.”
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Akpabio continued by describing Buhari as a leader who prioritised duty over personal accolades, and who never shied away from difficult circumstances. He said Buhari did not merely pass through the corridors of power; he left his boots and imprints in them.
He emphasised that the former president firmly believed in the importance of discipline, integrity, and a leadership grounded in principles loftier than mere power.
The special FEC meeting saw the attendance of top government functionaries, including the leadership of the National Assembly, various ministers, state governors, and members of the former leader’s family, led by his son, Yusuf.
Buhari, who previously served as Nigeria’s military head of state, led the country as a civilian president for eight years, from 2015 to 2023. He died on Sunday at a clinic in London at the age of 82.
His remains were repatriated to Nigeria on Tuesday and received by President Bola Tinubu at the Katsina Airport.
A state funeral was subsequently held at his residence in Daura, attended by a multitude of high-ranking government officials, political associates, family members, and local residents, marking his final interment.
