A former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has paid glowing tribute to the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, describing him as an exceptional patriot, incorruptible leader and compassionate humanist whose legacy of integrity, humility and selfless service will continue to inspire generations of Nigerians.
Mohammed spoke in Abuja on Monday during a programme of tributes marking the first anniversary of Buhari’s passing, during which he reflected on the late president’s leadership style, personal values, and decades of public service.
According to the former minister, Buhari’s life was defined not only by the many public offices he occupied but also by his unwavering patriotism, honesty, humility, humanity and the confidence he placed in those who served under him.
He said Buhari’s career was unmatched, having served at virtually every level of military command before becoming military governor, federal commissioner, chairman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), member of the Supreme Military Council, military head of state, executive chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), presidential candidate and ultimately a two-term democratically elected President.
“But beyond these impressive credentials were the qualities that truly distinguished him: his unwavering patriotism, unquestionable integrity, disarming humility, honesty and, above all, his profound humanity,” Mohammed said.
The former minister, who served as spokesperson for the Buhari administration for nearly eight years, recalled that despite the pressures of governing the country, the late leader consistently showed concern for his welfare.
He recounted that the late president often asked how he was coping with the demands of the office and once publicly remarked, “I pity Lai Mohammed,” a statement he said reflected Buhari’s empathy and concern for those working with him.
Mohammed identified trust as one of Buhari’s defining leadership qualities, recalling several instances where the former president demonstrated absolute confidence in his judgment.
One of such occasions, he said, was a 2015 media tour of communities liberated from Boko Haram in Borno State to demonstrate to local and international journalists that insurgents had been driven out of territories they once controlled.
According to him, after the then Minister of Defence insisted that the operation required presidential approval because of the military assets involved, Buhari, who was attending an international summit in South Africa, approved the mission immediately without hesitation.
The tour took journalists aboard a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft from Abuja to Maiduguri before proceeding under heavy military escort to Bama, a town once declared by Boko Haram as the headquarters of its self-proclaimed caliphate.
Mohammed described the approval as one of the greatest demonstrations of confidence a leader could repose in a subordinate.
