Shehu Sani, Shagari’s grandson get reply to their villifications of Buhari after death

FROM SHAGARI TO EKWUEME TO AZIKIWE, BUHARI NEVER FAILED TO BEFITTINGLY HONOUR ANY PAST NIGERIAN LEADER IN LIFE AND IN DEATH

Dr Uche Diala

This is worth clarifying, especially in light of what has been said by some people, including by Senator Shehu Sani and more importantly by a grand son of late President Shehu Shagari about President Buhari and his grandfather.

If my memory serves me right, Alhaji Shehu Shagari was the only Nigerian President to die while Buhari was in office as President. Alhaji Shehu Shagari was the first elected President of Nigeria and a respected elder statesman.

When Alhaji Shagari’s death happened at the ripe age of 95, at the National Hospital Abuja, in December 2018, 35 years after his Presidency ended in 1983, President Buhari, as a mark of honour, ordered flags to fly at half mast at all government offices and declared 3 days of national mourning.

President Buhari equally sent a high-powered federal government delegation led by then Secretary to Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, and Governors Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi state and Abdul-aziz Yari Abubakar of Zamfara state to the burial.

In a tribute then to the late elder statesman and former President, President Buhari wrote:

“The late President (Shehu Shagari) represented almost the last link with the government of our Founding Fathers under Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. He was also the first elected President of Nigeria.

“The late Alhaji Shagari was a ma of many parts: teacher, local authority administrator, politician, minister, and finally President. He served his country with dedication and moderation.Over the years, through interaction at the Council of State, he and I came to understand and appreciate each other, whatever the differences we may have had in the past.”

Permit me to also mention that another leader in similar class who died while Buhari was in office was Dr Alexander Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme, who was the first elected Vice President of Nigeria from 1979 to 1983 under President Shehu Shagari.

Dr Ekwueme who trained as an Architect died on Sunday 19th November 2017 in a London hospital at the age of 85. He had collapsed 5 days earlier and was flown to London by air ambulance on the orders of President Buhari but eventually died.

The federal government under President Buhari picked up the bills for the air ambulance evacuation as well as the medical bills and the cost for returning his corpse to Nigeria upon his death.

President Buhari further approved the setting up of a federal government committee headed by then Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, to support plans for Dr. Alex Ekwueme’s burial while the Federal Executive Council (FEC) observed a one minute of silence in his honour.

Dr Chukwuemeka Ngige, one time Governor of Anambra state and then Minister under the Buhari administration who was key part of the burial planning stated on 28th January 2018 that over N1 billion was spent on the medical evacuation, treatment and burial of the late Vice President by the Buhari led federal government, inclusive of the cost for building a mausoleum, which will contain a modern library and other facilities.

On January 29, 2018, President Buhari delegated Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to receive the body on his behalf at the airport where a parade of honour was held for the late former Vice President.

In his tribute to Dr Ekwueme, President Buhari affirmed that “Dr Ekwueme’s unwavering commitment to the unity of Nigeria had been a major encouragement to many governments, recalling the personal sacrifices he made in helping to lay the foundation for sustainable democracy in Nigeria.”

Finally, it is worth mentioning that in 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari equally completed the mausoleum in honour of Nigeria’s first president, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe (Zik of Africa) who died on 11th of May 1996, during the General Sani Abacha administration at the age of 92.

The mausoleum in Zik’s hometown of Onitsha, Anambra state was to be erected in his honour and the contract was awarded and work started 21 years earlier but it was abandoned and was over-grown with weeds and reptiles.

During the build up to the 2015 general elections, President Buhari made a commitment that he would complete the mausoleum as a mark of honour to the foremost statesman. Buhari kept his words and less than three years after returning to power, the project was completed.

In closing, it is crystal clear that late President Buhari evidentially befittingly not only honoured past Presidents and Vice Presidents, including those who died long before his time as civilian President, he also honored many ordinary and patriotic Nigerians.

I can understand if Pa Shagari’s grandson would have wanted more, especially in view of the apparent no love lost between Buhari and the late Shagari family, for obvious reasons, but things must be put in their clear, accurate and factual perspectives.

What is important is that President Buhari was always sincere in his actions and never acted out of character. That is what is called consistency.

For anyone to use what happened or did not happen when President Shehu Shagari died to play politics or even to insinate that President Buhari or the federal government under Buhari did not honour him in death is to say the least mischievous, ill informed and untrue.

Equally, Buhari’s own frank words reflected that he made peace with Alhaji Shehu Shagari while the latter was alive and thus he had no need to do a cosmetic show of respect and affection upon the latter’s death. That would have been out of Buhari’s character.

God bless Nigeria.

©️ Uche Diala

druchediala@gmail.com
20th July 2025

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