Former presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, has expressed surprise at the passing of former President Muhammadu Buhari, saying he believed the late leader still had another decade ahead of him despite his age.

In a tribute shared via Facebook on Thursday, Adesina described Buhari as “a soldier of soldiers, an officer and a gentleman,” whose influence would continue to shape Nigeria’s political and moral life.

“I didn’t expect President Buhari to leave, at least not in the next 10 years,” Adesina wrote. “He was 82, but I thought he could do 92 or more.”

Adesina recalled Buhari’s serious health scare in 2017, which saw him spend about five months abroad, and how his recovery strengthened belief in his resilience. “We prayed, we supplicated, we trusted God. And the man came back, not only hale and hearty, but looking many shades better than he was before,” he said.

He recounted his final meeting with Buhari during Ramadan at the former president’s Kaduna home, where they shared a meal and light conversation, unaware that it would be their last encounter.

Buhari died on Sunday, July 13, 2025, in London, following a period of illness. He was buried two days later at his residence on Daura Road, Kaduna, in a private ceremony attended by close family, government officials, and religious leaders.

Adesina also reflected on Buhari’s preference for simplicity in life and in death. He noted that the former president was laid to rest in a corner of his courtyard, a space where he often sat in quiet reflection. “So, Baba Buhari, my boss and senior friend, would be laid in this narrow cell?” he wrote, drawing on imagery from Thomas Grey’s Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.

In his tribute, Adesina praised Buhari’s commitment to integrity, fairness, and service. He said the former president discouraged nepotism and made decisions based on merit. “If I bypass the best person because of where he comes from, his language or religion, Allah will judge me for it,” Adesina quoted Buhari as saying.

He also recounted moments of humility during their time together, including an instance when Buhari quietly came downstairs in Lagos to join a Christian event, defying perceptions of religious partisanship.

Adesina, who served as Special Adviser on Media and Publicity for all eight years of Buhari’s administration, said his admiration for the late president deepened over time, both professionally and personally.

“Buhari was not perfect,” he wrote, “but he was honest, disciplined, and devoted to the people. Nigeria has lost a leader who never wavered in the face of challenges.”