Former presidential aide, Garba Shehu, has described the late Muhammadu Buhari as a leader who despised corruption and lived a remarkably modest life, even while occupying the highest office in the land.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News on Tuesday, Shehu, who served as Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the former President, recounted his final meeting with Buhari in London before his death, and reflected on the values that defined the late statesman’s life.
“He was incorruptible. Anything that had the smell of corruption, he detested,” Shehu said. “He led a simple life. When you dined with him, the meals were the kind that ordinary people in society would eat.”
According to Shehu, Buhari remained committed to integrity and public service until his last days, showing no appetite for luxury or material wealth.
“He wasn’t interested in building homes,” he explained. “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.”
Reflecting on their final interaction, Shehu said he had delivered a printed copy of a book they had launched, something Buhari had taken a keen interest in before travelling to the UK for treatment.
“My last conversation with him was in London. 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,” he said.
Though Buhari had expressed his intention to attend the launch, his declining health kept him away.
Shehu described the late President as “one of the rarest individuals to lead this country,” praising his humility and intellectual depth.
“Every interaction with him was like going to school to learn something new from someone endowed with superior wisdom,” he said.
On Buhari’s final days, Shehu said the family had believed he was on the path to recovery, making news of his death all the more devastating.
“The information we kept getting from London was that the worst was behind President Buhari, and he was in recovery mode. For us to be hit by this sad news is really devastating,” he said.
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