By Bukola Adetoye

Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun has expressed shock over the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari, saying that the news of the transition of the former military and civilian leader has left him devastated.

Abiodun, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade in Abeokuta on Sunday, said even though death is a bill that all mortals must pay, the death of the former president came to him as a rude shock.

Abiodun said that the former president, who reportedly died while receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment in London, United Kingdom, on Sunday, had been ill for some time.

He described Buhari as a gallant soldier and patriot whose commitment to the Nigerian dignity shone through while he was the military head of state and democratically-elected president.

The governor added that Buhari’s civilian presidency was enabled by his record as a scrupulously honest, no-nonsense general who believed that no national progress could be achieved without discipline and accountability.

“Former President Muhammadu Buhari dead? It is hard to process this news at the moment we had expected that he would pull through like he did in the past, but we take profound comfort in the fact that he left great imprints on the sands of time.

“Both as military head of state and as civilian president, Buhari made accountability his watchword.

“Although his time as military head of state had the usual elements of leadership style that is not acceptable in a democracy, it is significant that Buhari was able to reinvent himself and govern Nigeria for two terms as elected president, recording monumental achievements in infrastructure, from road to rail,” he said.

Abiodun also described the late former president as a person who was straightforward, affable, witty and of a humble disposition.

“Even his severest critics will readily admit that he did not seek public office for personal gratification.

“Former President Buhari was particularly fond of Ogun State, where he began his life as a young officer and was excited to inaugurate and celebrate the achievements of our administration.

“I commiserate with his immediate family, including his beloved wife, Hajia Aisha Buhari, the people and government of Katsina State, the Daura Emirate and the Nigerian Army.

“I commiserate with President Bola Tinubu who has lost a friend and comrade in the struggle for a better Nigeria. May Almighty Allah grant him Aljanat Firdaus,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by ‘Wale Sadeeq