Former Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (rtd), has described the late former President Muhammadu Buhari as a true patriot who loved and served Nigeria with greater devotion than he did himself.
He explained that Buhari’s de@th has now denied the nation the continuous service of the inspirational leader.
The former Army Chief said Buhari embodied discipline and dedication as a dogged fighter and champion of war against corruption in the public sector with a pedigree that resonates in immeasurable contributions to nation building, Buhari, who served as a military Head of State between January 1984 and August 1985, and civilian President from May 2015 and May 2023, d!ed on July 13, 2025 in a London hospital following a protracted illness. In a tribute to the late former president, Magashi stated that the deceased’s “unblemished service and sacrifice in the annals of our dear nation will be etched in the hearts of well meaning Nigerians who values integrity, humanity, responsibility, probity and accountability over acquisitions of worldly materials in preference to earning God’s favour in the hereafter.
Magashi, who served under the late former president from 2019 to 2023, noted that the deceased’s irrevocable patriotic concern and passion were centered on making Nigeria great in a shared experiences as co-compatriots in search for a better, stronger and indivisible country.
With nostalgia and an absolute sense of immeasurable loss I put it on record that my paths crossed with His Excellency the late President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR very intimately at different levels of the trajectory of our dear nation to warrant this glowing tributes and testimonials as a mark of my paying last respect to the colossus senior soldier especially in this difficult moments of national mourning.
My late mentor, late PMB lived a good and fulfilled life as a leader, a patriot and statesman whose pedigree as a principled yet compassionate, strict but simple, gallant, good-natured and God fearing disposition undoubtedly defined his strength, character, leadership style and personality.
De@th has denied the nation the continuous impeccable service of the inspirational leadership of a pan- Nigerian of note and a quintessential Nigerian leader of all times whose life was a testament and symbol of ” One Nation, One destiny in diversity” “Indeed, the Nigerian state has lost one of her best leaders at a most critical time but we are consoled by his enduring legacy he bequeathed to a grieving nation with his indelible footprints on the sands of times as a tested and trusted Head of State and twice democratically elected president of Africa’s most populous black nation.
I found in him a rare breed of Nigerian brand whose entire journey of life was defined by uncommon incorruptible service to the country he fought to defend her sovereignty and helped to place on high pedestal of respectability as a foremost Nigerian trusted globally with iconic integrity,” he stated.
The former minister added that “as a patriotic Nigerian who loved and served his country more than he loved and served himself with a pedigree that resonates in immeasurable contributions to nation building, the late former president embodied discipline and dedication as a dogged fighter and champion of war against corruption in the public sector.”
Discover more from Biographies
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
