Tinubu renames University of Maiduguri after Buhari

…Says Buhari’s life was a rebuke to vice and a refuge for virtue

….As FEC, NASS members pay tribute to late President

….My late father loved more as a friend rather than politician- Yusuf Buhari

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday renamed the University of Maiduguri to Muhammadu Buhari University, even as he describes the late President Muhammadu Buhari, as a man whose life was “rebuke to vice and refuge for virtue”.

Tinubu stated this as he led members of the Federal Executive Council FEC, to pay tributes to late President Muhammadu Buhari who died on Sunday in London.

Tinubu while speaking in the life of the late President, noted that the nation will continue to feel the immense weight of his absence 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.”

He also described Buhari as a true soldier in war, first among citizens in peace, and first, without ambition or flattery, in the hearts of his fellow citizens.

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” 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.”

Tinubu also noted that Buhari was respectful to his peers 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 President stated that the”purity of his private character gave radiance to the discipline and integrity of his public service, adding that ” 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.

Tinubu who also noted that Buhari’s life was one of austere honour, added that 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.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, in his tribute noted that the former President served the country with great and unwavering patriotism
“Whether clad in khaki or in civilian robes, through coups and campaigns, criticisms and crises, he never wavered in his belief in the promise of Nigeria. His legacy is marked by monumental achievements—too many, too vast, and too significant for me to enumerate within the time allotted for this tribute.”

Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the House of Representatives, also extolled the virtue of Service to humanity and patriotism, even as he recalled how the late President signed several ” landmark Bills into Law.

Atiku Bagudu, Budget and Economic Planning Minister recalled how the late President introduced the anchor borrowers program to pursue the mantra ” eat what we grow and grow what we eat”

Recalling why the President was reluctant to change his Ministers despite intense public pressures, stated ” How can I make changes of people who I could not provide what they needed to work with ”

Ali Pate, Minister of Health and Coordinating Minister of Social Welfare, in his speech also recalled how the late President drove infrastructural development and social welfare, which passionately, despite the lean resources under his administration.

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He therefore, appealed to the current administration to ensure that the legacy of infrastructure left behind by the late President started.

Imaam Sueliman- Ibrahim, Minister of Women Development, recalled how the late President worked tirelessly to provide homes for those displaced by the Boko Haram insurgents in th North East.

Dave Umahi, Works Minister, in his remarks, recalled how the late President, rejected the naming of the Umiahia airport after him, but requested that it be named after ” late China Okadigbo” who had served as his running mate.

He also recalled how the late President introduced the World Bank transparency programme for public procurement which the state benefited from, by winning it.

Yusuf Buhari, speaking on behalf of the family, commended President Bola Tinubu and all Nigerians for standing with the family at their moment of grief

He noted that it was clear from all the tribute that late President Buhari ” was regarded far more than a politician, but rather a friend by everyone”