President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, led members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in paying tribute to the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Tinubu described his predecessor as “a good man, a decent man, an honourable man,” despite his imperfections.

Speaking at the special FEC session held in honour of the former president at the State House in Abuja, Tinubu praised Buhari’s legacy as incorruptible, patriotic, and of quiet strength.

Tinubu urged Nigerians to honour the late president’s memory by emulating the virtues he embodied.

“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, but the character he brought to public life, the moral force he carried, the incorruptible standard he represented, will not be forgotten. His was a life lived in full service to Nigeria, and in fidelity to God,” said Tinubu.

The special session came two days after Buhari was buried in his hometown in Daura, Katsina State, following his death in London on Sunday at the age of 82.

Tinubu led the funeral delegation alongside top Nigerian political and military figures as the late president’s body was laid to rest with full state honours.

Reflecting on Buhari’s enduring influence on Nigeria’s political history, Tinubu said, “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 true 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.

“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,” he said.

Tinubu added, “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. His was a quiet courage, a righteousness that never announced itself. His patriotism was lived more in action than in words.

He further described Buhari’s life as the embodiment of modesty and sincerity.

“He was first among soldiers in war, first among citizens in peace, and first, 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,” said the president.

He also acknowledged Buhari’s military and political legacy from his role in Nigeria’s civil war to his civilian leadership: “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 in 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 North-Eastern State and stood as 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.”

After serving as Head of State from 1983 to 1985 and later returning as a democratically elected President from 2015 to 2023, Tinubu noted that Buhari retired to Daura without interference in governance: “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.”

Tinubu once again offered condolences to the Buhari family and the people of Katsina State. He thanked the family for their sacrifice during Buhari’s years of service.

Buhari’s children, including Yusuf Buhari, attended the special FEC session.