By General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd.)
\nIt is with a deeply heavy heart that I received the news of the passing of my friend, my brother, my course mate, and a fellow soldier in the journey of nationhood \u2014 President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR.
\nOur paths crossed in 1962 when we both joined the Nigerian Military Training College in Kaduna. From those early days, Muhammadu stood out \u2014 quiet yet resolute, principled yet humble, deeply patriotic and fiercely loyal to Nigeria. Through the years, we shared trenches and trials, dreams and disappointments, victories and moments of reflection. Our bond was forged not only by military training, but by a shared commitment to the ideals of service, discipline, and love for country.
\nIn the course of our long careers, fate placed both of us in leadership at different times, and in very different circumstances. But in all, Buhari remained consistent in his belief in integrity, order, and the dignity of public office. He served Nigeria with a deep sense of responsibility and unwavering commitment, even when the road was lonely or misunderstood.
\nBeyond the uniform and the public glare, I knew him as a deeply spiritual man, a man who found solace in faith, and who carried himself with the humility of someone who believed in a higher calling. We may not have agreed on everything \u2014 as brothers often don\u2019t \u2014 but I never once doubted his sincerity or his patriotism.
\nHis passing today is not just the loss of a former Head of State, or a two-term civilian President. It is the loss of a symbol \u2014 a man whose life embodied the transition of Nigeria from the old guard to the new republic. A man who, even in retirement, remained a moral compass to many, and an example of modesty in public life.
\nTo his beloved wife Aisha, his children, grandchildren, and the nation he loved and served \u2014 I extend my deepest condolences. May Allah (SWT), in His infinite mercy, forgive his shortcomings, accept his deeds, and grant him Aljannatul Firdaus.<\/p>\n
May his legacy endure.<\/p>\n
General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, GCFR
\nFormer President, Federal Republic of Nigeria
\n13th July 2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd.) It is with a deeply heavy heart that I received the news of the passing of my friend, my brother, my course mate, and a fellow soldier in the journey of nationhood \u2014 President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR. Our paths crossed in 1962 when we both joined the Nigerian Military […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5482,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1919,3575,3571,3573,2048,3572,3574],"class_list":["post-5505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-condolences","tag-deepest","tag-disappointments","tag-embodied","tag-humility","tag-nationhood","tag-transition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5505"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5505\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5506,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5505\/revisions\/5506"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}