Ajuri Ngelale Pays Tribute to Buhari: “A Good Man and Great Leader”

Chief Ajuri Ngelale, former Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Public Affairs, has paid glowing tribute to the late Nigerian leader, describing him as a man of honour, discipline, and unwavering integrity.

In a heartfelt statement titled “My Recollections of a Good Man and Great Leader: H.E. Former President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR (1942 – 2025),” Ngelale reflected on his personal and professional relationship with the late president, who he described as his first boss in public service.

“This was a man who—without exceptions—always did what he believed was right in every situation,” Ngelale wrote. “He was an honest man of consistent simplicity, spartan discipline, and dogged dedication to the lifelong principles that guided his service as a decorated officer, military head of state, and popularly elected leader of Africa’s largest population.”

He described Buhari as a man of method and structure whose legacy will be remembered by generations of Nigerians, particularly for his integrity, humility, and focus on the nation’s disadvantaged.

“President Buhari was a progressive who believed in the great destiny of our nation, and a relentless champion of the nation’s disadvantaged,” the statement read.

Ngelale praised the former President’s achievements across multiple sectors, including infrastructure, social investment, security, and the oil and gas industry. “His legacies of widespread infrastructural provision across rail, road, seaports, airports, and power, and his humane investments in the provision of social amenities; alongside oil & gas sector reforms and the armament upgrades of the nation’s armed forces… will stand the test of time,” he stated.

The tribute concluded with a personal note of gratitude: “He will be sorely missed by millions of his dedicated followers, and I shall forever be proud of our association and indebted to him for the opportunity he extended to me to serve the nation we love. May his soul rest in perfect peace.”

This was disclosed in a statement signed by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, who served as Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs from 2019 to 2023.