President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday paid glowing tribute to his predecessor, the late President Muhammadu Buhari, describing him as a leader whose honesty, simplicity and patriotism have left an enduring imprint on Nigeria’s history one year after his passing.

The President, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the first-year remembrance lecture in Abuja, also revealed an emotional account of how he ensured Buhari received care during his final illness in London, underscoring what he described as the enduring bond they shared.

The event also witnessed the Buhari family’s announcement that proceeds from the book, From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, would finance the construction of a modern Computer Science Complex at Al-Qalam University, Katsina, as part of efforts to preserve the former President’s commitment to education and national development.

Departing briefly from the prepared presidential speech, Shettima narrated how Tinubu instructed him to travel to London immediately after learning of Buhari’s deteriorating health.
Quoting a popular saying, the Vice President remarked: “When you are in power, your friends know you. When you are out of power, you know your friends.”

He said: “I was in Ethiopia for the Green Africa Initiative when we got wind of the late President’s illness. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu called me and said, ‘Kashim, I’ve just learned that President Muhammadu Buhari is ill in London. Please kindly proceed to London and find out what is happening, and ensure he lacks nothing.'”

According to Shettima, the visit remains one of the most emotional moments of his public service.

“I got to see him in the hospital in London. His doctor wanted to wake him up, but I said, ‘No, don’t bother.’ I came out with tears in my eyes and met Zara and Yusuf at the door of the Intensive Care Unit. It was a moving spectacle,” he recalled.

He added that accompanying Buhari’s remains back to Nigeria on behalf of President Tinubu was one of the greatest honours of his life.

“To have been entrusted with escorting his body on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is one of the greatest honours done to me by both the President and the Buhari family, and I remain eternally grateful,” he said.

In the presidential message, Tinubu said Nigerians had gathered not merely to remember Buhari’s passing but to reflect on the enduring values he bequeathed to the nation.

“What survives us after the last prayer has been said and the earth has closed over a man is not simply the memory of what he did. It is the weight of that memory and the pressure it exerts on the conscience of those who remain,” the President stated.

He described Buhari as a statesman whose life had become inseparable from Nigeria’s history.

“We are gathered here today, one year after the passing of former President Muhammadu Buhari because the life he lived is not one this nation is capable of forgetting,” Tinubu said.

Reflecting on their political journey, Tinubu described Buhari as a trusted ally and fellow patriot.

“President Buhari and I were co-travellers on the long road of politics and national development. We worked together through seasons of difficulty and seasons of hope. We shared a deep and abiding passion for a renewed, progressive and prosperous Nigeria.”

Tinubu praised Buhari’s uncommon privilege of serving Nigeria both as military Head of State and later as democratically elected President.
“Few men are permitted two lives in the service of one country. He was given that rare privilege, and he used it well,” he said.

He maintained that Buhari’s greatest legacy was the enduring confidence ordinary Nigerians reposed in him even after leaving office.
“When he laid down the burden of leadership, the trust of ordinary Nigerians did not depart from him. It followed him into private life. It sat with him in Daura. It waited outside his door. Such constancy is the sturdiest inheritance any leader can leave a nation. It is not given; it is earned.”

The President said Buhari lived a life that required no embellishment.
“We honour him in death as we honoured him in life because his life required none. He had no appetite for flattery when he was among us, and he will have none for it now.”

Tinubu extended condolences to Buhari’s widow, Aisha Buhari, and members of the family, urging Nigerians to uphold the late President’s values of honesty, discipline, simplicity and selfless service.

He further observed that if the remembrance ceremony had been opened to the general public, the venue and surrounding streets would have been overwhelmed by the large number of Nigerians eager to honour the former President.

Speaking on behalf of the Buhari family, Safina Buhari expressed appreciation to Nigerians for their continued prayers and support, describing the remembrance as a celebration of the principles her father upheld throughout his life.

“Today has been a day of reflection, prayer and gratitude. We have been reminded not only of the offices he held but, more importantly, of the values he cherished—faith in Allah, integrity, discipline, humility, patriotism and unwavering commitment to serving Nigeria honestly,” she said.

Safina announced that proceeds from the book launched on December 15, 2025, had been dedicated to building a state-of-the-art Computer Science Complex at
Al-Qalam University in Katsina State.

She explained that the project followed recommendations that the funds be invested in the university because of its community-oriented and charitable mission, consistent with Buhari’s vision of expanding access to quality education.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the project was held on July 5, 2026.
According to her, the facility will comprise a 200-seat auditorium, two lecture theatres accommodating 150 students each, three computer laboratories equipped with 50 computers each, lecturers’ offices, a workshop, departmental offices, a common room and a students’ cafeteria.

Safina also paid tribute to former First Lady Aisha Buhari for ensuring the late President’s final wish was fulfilled.
“We express our sincere gratitude to our mother for fulfilling the wish of our late father. We appreciate the remarkable strength, love and leadership you have shown since his passing,” she said.

She reaffirmed the family’s commitment to preserving Buhari’s ideals through projects that would continue to benefit future generations, saying the education initiative reflects the former President’s lifelong belief that national development is rooted in knowledge and service.