Tinubu Leads Special FEC Session to Honour Buhari

The Federal Executive Council held its first special session on Thursday to honour former President Muhammadu Buhari, who died on July 13, 2025, at the age of 82.

The meeting drew an expanded roster of the country’s political branches and the late leader’s family, just two days after his burial in his hometown of Daura.

The meeting, slated for 5:00 p.m., began at 5:27 p.m. when President Bola Tinubu entered the Council Chamber.

Inside the Executive Council of the Federation chambers once commanded by Muhammadu Buhari himself, Nigeria’s top leadership gathered, not to deliberate, but to remember.

President Bola  Tinubu paid glowing tribute to his predecessor, calling him “first among citizens in peace and war,” and “a man whose presence summoned the best in us.”

Tinubu recalled Buhari’s journey from a young soldier in Nigeria’s civil war, to Head of State, and later, to a democratically elected president who governed with restraint and returned to Daura without clinging to power.

Also speaking at the session, Senate President Godswill Akpabio; House Speaker Abbas Tajudeen; Chief Justice of Nigeria Kudirat Kekere-Ekun; Nigerian Governors Forum chair and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo; Budget and Economic Planning Minister Abubakar Atiku Bagudu; Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Muhammad Ali Pate; Solid Minerals Development Minister Dele Alake; Women Affairs Minister Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim; Works Minister David Umahi; and finally Yusuf Muhammadu Buhari speaking for the family.

Late President Buhari’s legacy marked by anti-corruption efforts, infrastructural strides, and a firm stance on national unity continues to spark reflection across political lines.

President Tinubu led Buhari’s final journey home to Daura, where he was laid to rest earlier this week in a quiet, dignified ceremony.

President Muhammadu Buhari, former military leader, civilian president, and, as many described him, “the People’s General” is gone, but his legacy, both contested and celebrated, continues to shape Nigeria’s path forward.