• Says true leadership lies not in power, but in bequeathed values

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, yesterday, delivered a deeply reflective tribute to late former President Muhammadu Buhari, declaring that the true measure of leadership lies not in power, privilege or pageantry, but in the values that endure long after office is vacated.

Speaking at the official presentation of Buhari’s biography in Abuja, Tinubu said history would remember the former President not for the offices he occupied or the motorcades that accompanied him, but for the character he brought to public life.

“The measure of a leader is not simply the offices he held or the motorcades that accompanied him. It is what persists when the sirens fall silent,” Tinubu said, stressing: “President Muhammadu Buhari left behind a reputation for integrity, a spartan lifestyle, and the belief that public office is a trust and not a windfall.”

The President described Buhari as a leader of quiet strength, discipline and restraint, whose sense of duty was anchored in service rather than spectacle.

He extended the country’s condolences to former First Lady, Aisha Buhari, her children and grandchildren, assuring them that Nigeria’s prayers and gratitude remained with the family.

Recalling their shared political history, Tinubu noted that Buhari played a pivotal role in reshaping Nigeria’s democratic landscape, particularly through the broad coalition that led to the historic 2015 election.

“Together, we built a movement that united diverse interests across the country. We proved that Nigeria could chart a new course, and in 2015, we achieved what many thought impossible by unseating an incumbent President through the ballot,” he said.
Reflecting on the biography being presented, the President commended the author for offering a balanced account of Buhari’s life, one that documents both accomplishments and shortcomings.

“History must teach, not flatter,” Tinubu said. “This book should motivate future leaders to draw lessons, not repeat slogans.”
On security, Tinubu said Buhari understood that safety was the foundation of citizenship and economic prosperity, investing in personnel, platforms and reforms across the armed services.

Chairman and Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), General Buba Marwa (retd.), described the late Buhari as a principled soldier, a disciplined statesman, and a deeply humane leader whose personal integrity shaped every office he held.
Marwa described Buhari as a man of strict principles, recalling his role as head of a military promotion examination panel in 1981.

“Out of 190 officers, only three passed. There was intense pressure to adjust the results. He refused.” He said if only three passed, then only three would go. He stood his ground,” Marwa noted.

EARLIER in his welcome address, Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umar Radda, paid a glowing tribute to the late former President, describing him as a leader whose life of discipline, sacrifice and integrity left an indelible mark on Nigeria’s history.

Author and reviewer of the biography, Dr Charles Omole, described the work as the most comprehensive account of the former leader’s life, deliberately focused on the man behind the office rather than a defence or critique of his policies.

Omole said the project arose from a simple but significant concern: that an earlier, widely read portrait of Buhari published in 2014 no longer reflected the full arc of his life and leadership.