Babatunde Raji Fashola, former minister of works and housing, has expressed deep sorrow over the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari, describing him as a patriot who offered over five decades of his life in service to Nigeria.
In a tribute released on Sunday, Fashola said he was mourning with “a deeply heavy heart and profound sense of personal loss.”
“I join millions of Nigerians and friends around the world to mourn the passing of our former President, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR,” he wrote.
“I extend my heartfelt condolences to his beloved wife, Hajiya Aisha Buhari, his children, and his entire extended family.”
Fashola, a former governor of Lagos, also extended his condolences to the government and people of Katsina State, especially the Daura Emirate, where the late president was born and later retired after leaving office.
Reflecting on Buhari’s public service, Fashola described him as a rare figure whose contributions spanned both military and democratic eras.
“From the battlefield to the ballot box, he stood as a sentinel of duty… guided always by a belief in discipline, integrity, and nationhood,” he said.
According to Fashola, Buhari’s personal values, including punctuality, order, and accountability, were often overlooked by public commentary but critical to his leadership style.
“He was perhaps the most punctual public servant I ever encountered — never late to cabinet meetings, always respecting the time of others. It may seem a small thing, but in governance, it is everything. It sets a tone,” he added.
He recalled Buhari’s controversial but value-driven “War Against Indiscipline” campaign, which he said was often misunderstood.
“It was rooted in a desire to rebuild a citizenry of order, courtesy, and civic responsibility,” he said.
Fashola, who served under Buhari’s administration from 2015 to 2023, praised the former president for giving his cabinet members autonomy while demanding integrity and results in return.
“President Buhari was not a man to micromanage; instead, he gave you the space and the trust to deliver. With that trust, however, came the highest expectations,” he noted.
He said Buhari’s leadership was marked by quiet strength, empathy, and a deep concern for the vulnerable.
“I witnessed his compassion — his deep concern for the poor, the pensioner, the soldier in the trenches, the almajiri child, and the underserved in every part of this country.”
Despite confronting severe national and global crises, including insurgency, economic shocks, a pandemic, and political turbulence, Fashola said Buhari stayed grounded in duty, not political popularity.
“He remained consistent, never ruled by noise or poll ratings, only by the burden of responsibility and his belief in posterity’s judgment,” he said.
Fashola concluded his tribute by calling Buhari’s death the close of “a defining chapter in Nigeria’s journey,” one shaped by sacrifice and moral authority.
“Even in death, President Muhammadu Buhari leaves behind a living legacy: one of service above self, of discipline without drama, of truth without theatrics,” he said.
“May the Almighty Allah (SWT), whom he served with devotion and humility, forgive his shortcomings and grant him eternal rest in Aljannah Firdaus. Adieu, Mai Gaskiya… Nigeria salutes you.”
