Vice-President Kashim Shettima, on Monday, paid a condolence visit to the family of late former President Muhammadu Buhari in London.
Mr Stanley Nkwocha, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, made this known in a statement in Abuja.
Shettima is in London at the behest of President Bola Tinubu to accompany Buhari’s body to Nigeria for burial at his hometown, Daura, on Tuesday.
Aged 82, Buhari died on Sunday at a London clinic where he was receiving treatment, having initially travelled for routine medical check-up in April.
Buhari served as Nigeria’s President from 2015 to 2023, after a distinguished career in the military, including a brief stint as Head of State from 1983 to 1985.
He survived by his wife, Hajiya Aisha Buhari, and eight children.
The senior special assistant stated that Shettima also visited the late President’s nephew, Malam Mamman Daura, who is recuperating in a London hospital.
Nkwocha explained that the condolence visits were conducted while the vice-president awaits the conclusion of procedures and documentation for the repatriation of Buhari’s body to Nigeria.
He said Shettima was accompanied by Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar and Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Sen. Ibrahim Hadejia.
Buhari tried his best to make Nigeria great – Olu Falae
A former Secretary to the Government of Federation (SGF), Oba Olu Falae, says late former President Muhammadu Buhari tried his best to make Nigeria a great nation.
Falae, who is the Olu of ilu-Abo in Akure North Local Government area of Ondo state, stated this in a telephone interview with NAN on Monday in Akure.
The traditional ruler said that Buhari’s intention was for the betterment of the country. Buhari died at the age of 82 in London on Sunday.
Falae told NAN that the late former president tried to eliminate corruption from the public sphere by tackling corruption among politicians and civil servants.
“He did his best and tried to make Nigeria great by wiping out corruption from the society. The intention was an excellent one but to me the approach to achieve it was another matter,” he said.
Falae, who was the presidential candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in 1999, honoured the courage of the late president in making it a priority to sanitise the polity as a civilian and elected president.
The former minister of finance enjoined Nigerian leaders to collectively work towards reduction of corrupt practices to the best barest minimum.
“To me as an opinion, corruption cannot be totally wipe out but if our leaders collectively decide to reduce corruption, they will succeed by living a life of honesty, transparency and integrity.
“As we can recall, many people were arrested and prosecuted during the Buhari regime but only few were convicted, suggesting that the approach was not the most effective,” he said.
According to him, leaders in the country must fight corruption in both public and private spheres.
Also speaking to NAN, Dr Olu Agunloye, former Minister of Power, said that the late former president died at a ripe age having done his best for the country.
Agunloye asked Nigerians to take it as priority in making the country better by living a life of social justice.
The former minister added that Nigerians should clamour for a system that is fair to all citizens irrespective of status, religions and ethnicity.