Nura Muhammad Mahe, a grandson of Nigeria’s first democratically elected President, Shehu Shagari, has expressed disappointment over the way the late President Muhammadu Buhari handled his grandfather’s passing in 2018.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Mahe drew a sharp contrast between the treatment accorded to Shagari by the Buhari administration and the dignified state burial recently given to Buhari himself by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He commended Tinubu for his “statesmanship and honourable gesture” in personally attending Buhari’s funeral and setting up a national committee to organise a befitting burial. Mahe described the effort as a sign of national unity and respect for leadership, regardless of political differences.
“This is in stark contrast to how the late President Shehu Shagari was treated during the administration of Muhammadu Buhari,” he said.
According to Mahe, despite being in the country at the time of Shagari’s death, Buhari neither attended the funeral nor ensured that a state burial was granted. Instead, he sent a government delegation led by then Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, whom Mahe described as “notably a non-Muslim,” to represent him.
He expressed regret that Shagari, who served the nation with distinction and dignity, did not receive the honour due to him upon his death.
“It remains a painful memory that Shagari’s death occurred under the leadership of a man who many believed harboured political animosity toward him. Even in death, Buhari showed little public remorse or respect for his predecessor,” the statement read.
Mahe concluded his statement by offering prayers for the forgiveness and eternal peace of all departed Nigerian leaders, urging the current administration and future governments to treat former leaders with the respect they deserve, regardless of past political disagreements.
