A former Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, Garba Shehu, has described the late Nigerian leader as an incorruptible and selfless statesman who lived a remarkably simple life throughout his years in public service.
Shehu stated this in an interview on Arise News on Tuesday, while recounting his last meeting with Buhari in London before his death.
He said the former President, who recently passed away after a brief illness, remained committed to integrity and public service until the end.
“My last conversation with him was in London when I took a printed copy of the book that we launched. He was aware I was writing the book and had seen the prototype in Kaduna before he travelled. He wanted to keep it, but I told him I would bring the final copy,” Shehu explained.
According to him, Buhari promised to attend the book launch but could not due to health challenges that kept him in London.
Speaking on the late President’s character, Shehu described Buhari as “one of the rarest individuals to lead this country.”
He said, “He was incorruptible. Anything that had the smell of corruption, he detested. He led a simple life. When you dined with him, the meals were the kind that ordinary people in society would eat.”
Shehu added that Buhari was never attracted to material wealth or luxury.
“He wasn’t interested in building homes. He kept the same house he had after leaving the military until the government, in line with tradition, rebuilt his home in Kaduna. Even then, he retained the same furniture and television. On one occasion, when an aide replaced his small TV with a bigger screen, he queried the decision,” Shehu recounted.
He further described Buhari as a man of deep wisdom and humility, adding that his simplicity is something you cannot beat.
“Every interaction with him was like going to school to learn something new from someone endowed with superior wisdom,” he said.
Speaking futher the late President’s recovery before his death, Shehu said, “The information we kept getting from London was that the worst was behind President Buhari and he was in a recovery mode, getting better. For us to be hit by this sad news is really devastating.”
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