From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt General Tukur Buratai (retd), has said that the late President Muhammadu Buhari’s experiences over the years, as a governor, General Officer Commanding (GOC), Head of State under military rule, and minister, gave him the opportunity to garner all the experience and knowledge over the years, which was brought to bear during his period as a civilian president.
The retired general stated this on Monday in a statement by his media aide, Dahiru Ibrahim Danfulani.
He recounted his experience of working with the late President, adding that Buhari was firm in his decisions, resolute, as well as frank and direct in his approach.
The statement added that while recalling his time as Chief of Army Staff under the late leader, the former Nigerian Ambassador to Benin Republic said one fundamental factor to successful leadership is the ability to motivate by gaining trust, which he earned from the late president.
“I saw in him a true leader, highly disciplined, who is straightforward, always abreast of contemporary situations, and I am glad that I had worked with him in my capacity as Chief of Army Staff,” he said.
“The whole nation, not only Katsina State, is in mourning. When we came into Katsina earlier today (Monday, July 14), we’ve seen fewer activities; generally, it is a sober mood as the people expect the arrival of the corpse on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, to pay their last respects. The whole nation, as declared by the federal government, is in a mourning mood,” he added.
“Despite all the challenges, he believed in my actions, he believed in my directives that I passed to my troops in the field, and also all the exercises and operations that we conducted, he gave me full support, and it’s a very big motivating factor,” he said.
“Similarly, all the operational requirements, especially in the Northeast, were promptly released to the troops, and he never waited for troops to start complaining before they were given what was due to them. He was personally interested in ensuring that the troops’ salaries and allowances were never delayed; he would be so annoyed if he heard that the troops’ allowances were delayed for a day,” he noted.
“During his time, salaries were increased, allowances were increased for the troops, which is a great motivation. In terms of equipment, he released funds for procurement and ensured that direct purchases of military equipment were done through government-to-government arrangements, like the Super Tucano of the Nigerian Air Force, as well as training of the troops and capacity building,” he added.
“He loves regimentation, he appears and attends all functions, military regimental functions. He never missed them. We will always cherish and remember that we had General Muhammadu Buhari, former President, Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces,” he said.
“We miss him; may Allah grant him eternal rest and paradise. I condole the family, the immediate family, the wife, the former First Lady, Aisha Buhari, the children, the relations. I also condole the Emir of Daura, the Governor of Katsina State, and of course, our President, Commander-in-Chief, President Bola Tinubu, for this great loss,” Buratai said.
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