Tinubu urges leaders to emulate Buhari’s honesty, one year after ex-president’s death

President Bola Tinubu on Monday paid glowing tribute to former President Muhammadu Buhari on the first anniversary of his death, urging political leaders and public officials to uphold the late leader’s values of honesty, simplicity and self-discipline.

Speaking at a prayer session held in Abuja to commemorate Buhari’s first death anniversary, Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said the former president’s life and legacy continued to inspire Nigeria, describing his transition from military ruler to democratically elected president as a rare chapter in the nation’s history.

The President said Buhari’s legacy extended beyond the offices he occupied, noting that his life reflected consistency between his principles, words and personal conduct.

“President Buhari gave everything he had to this country, and he gave it without reservation. He served with courage, with conviction, and with a patriotism that never asked what the nation could return to him,” Tinubu said.

Recalling their years as political allies, the President described Buhari as a committed patriot who dedicated his life to national service.

“From his years as a military leader to his transformation into a democrat and a determined defender of constitutional order, he embodied the very spirit of change and of nation-building,” he said.

Tinubu said Buhari retained the trust and affection of many Nigerians even after leaving office, describing that public confidence as one of the greatest legacies any leader could leave behind.

“When he laid down the burden of leadership, and through all the years of his retirement, the trust of ordinary Nigerians did not depart from him. It is not given. It is earned, and it is earned only through a lifetime of agreement between what a man says and what a man is,” he added.