Nura Muhammad Mahe, a grandson of Nigeria’s former President Shehu Shagari, has praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his recent show of respect and national unity in honouring the late President Muhammadu Buhari with a state burial.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Mahe commended President Tinubu for personally attending Buhari’s funeral and setting up a committee to organise a befitting state burial. He described the gesture as a mark of statesmanship and national reconciliation.
> “President Tinubu’s action reflects true leadership and honour for past presidents. It stands in stark contrast to how my grandfather, President Shehu Shagari, was treated by the previous administration,” Mahe said.
Mahe recalled that in December 2018, when President Shagari passed away, then-President Muhammadu Buhari did not personally attend the funeral, despite being in the country at the time. Instead, he sent a delegation led by the then Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.
> “The late President Shagari, Nigeria’s first democratically elected Executive President, deserved more dignity and national recognition in death. His legacy of service should have been better honoured,” Mahe stated.
He lamented what he described as a missed opportunity to celebrate a former leader whose contributions to Nigeria’s democratic development remain significant.
Mahe concluded his remarks by offering prayers for the souls of all deceased Nigerian leaders, noting that their actions in office—whether praised or criticised—remain part of the country’s collective history.
