Former Minister of Works, Raji Fashola (SAN), has penned an emotion-laden tribute to his former boss, the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
247nextnews.com recalls that Buhari who died of an undisclosed ailment at a London, UK hospital on Sunday, appointed Fashola Minister of Works, Power and Housing at the commencement of his first term as President in 2015.
He, however unbundled the ministry into three separate ministries during his second term as President.
In his tribute, the Senior Advocate noted that Buhari was ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฝ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ he ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ.
Read the full text of Fashola’s tribute to the man under whom he served as Minister for eight years:
“With a deeply heavy heart and profound sense of personal loss, I join millions of Nigerians and friends around the world to mourn the passing of our former President, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR.
“I extend my heartfelt condolences to his beloved wife, Hajiya Aisha Buhari, his children, and his entire extended family. I also condole with the government and people of Katsina State, especially the Daura Emirate, where President Buhariโs journey in life began โ a town whose name has become inextricably linked with his legacy.
“President Buhariโs record of service to Nigeria is almost unparalleled. From the battlefield to the ballot box, he stood as a sentinel of duty. As a military officer, Head of State, and twice-elected President, he offered over five decades of his life to the service of our nation in times of strife and in peaceful times โ guided always by a belief in discipline, integrity, and nationhood.
“๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฝ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ป๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ถ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐: ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐ฝ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐. ๐๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฒ๐; ๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ.
“๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฝ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ โ ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐, ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐. ๐๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐บ ๐ฎ ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ด๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ, ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด. ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ.
“๐๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ด๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฟ๐๐น๐ฒ๐, ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฏ๐ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐๐น๐๐ฒ. ๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป ๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฝ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ, ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ด๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐.
“I feel privileged to have served in his cabinet โ first in the consolidated Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, and later in the restructured Ministry of Works and Housing.
“President Buhari was not a man to micromanage; instead, he gave you the space and the trust to deliver. With that trust, however, came the highest expectations of discipline, results, and honesty.
“He had a quiet strength. Yet, within and outside the cabinet, I witnessed his compassion โ his deep concern for the poor, the pensioner, the soldier in the trenches, the almajiri child, and the underserved in every part of this country.
“Under his leadership, the nation confronted formidable challenges: insurgency, economic volatility, a global pandemic, and deep political tension. Yet he remained consistent โ never ruled by noise or poll ratings, only by the burden of responsibility and his belief in posterityโs judgment.
“His death marks the end of a defining chapter in Nigeriaโs journey โ one marked by sacrifice, moral authority, and patriotic resolve.
“But even in death, President Muhammadu Buhari leaves behind a living legacy: one of service above self, of discipline without drama, of truth without theatrics.
“May the Almighty Allah (SWT), whom he served with devotion and humility, forgive his shortcomings and grant him eternal rest in Aljannah Firdaus.
“Adieu, Mai Gaskiya, as you were fondly referred to.
“Nigeria salutes you.”
