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The death of the immediate past President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has been described as a great loss to the nation and the entire humanity.
This assertion was made by the National President of Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), Alhaji Abdulmumini Ayo Abdulmalik, while reacting to the demise of President Buhari in a London Hospital on Sunday.
In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Nurudeen Ibrahim, the National President, Alhaji Abdulmalik recalled that, aside working for the peace and greatness of the country since he enlisted in the Nigerian Army in 1962, the former President had a special relationship with the people of Ilorin Emirate.
He recalled that the late former President had a remarkable working relationship with a son of the Emirate, late General Tunde Idiagbon, who served as his deputy when he ruled as the military Head of State from December 31, 1983 and August 27, 1985.
“General Buhari stood firmly by our community when we lost General Idiagbon.General Buhari, in the company of General Muhammadu Magoro, promptly paid the family and the community condolence visit and stayed some days behind in Ilorin till after the fidau prayers for Idiagbon”, the community leader testified.
Alhaji Abdulmalik also said that the people of Ilorin Emirate would remain grateful to the late President for settling for the Wambai of Ilorin and former Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Prof. Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, CFR, as his second and last Chief of Staff in his presidency.
He added that President Buhari’s civilian administration also appointed several indigenes of the community into influential positions as it also established the Federal Neuropsyciatric Hospital in Budo-Egba.
The community leader, who is a retired Assistant Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service, also recalled that President Buhari was so friendly to the Ilorin community that he even accepted to serve as the Chairman of the opening ceremony of the Union’s national conference in 1997, an event that was, however, aborted by an unfortunate political development in which a prominent son of the community was implicated in a fathom coup .
Alhaji Abdulmalik, who sympathised with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR; Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, CON; the government and people of Katsina State and particularly the family of the late former President, prayed to Allah to forgive his inadequacies and admit his soul into Aljanat Fridaouz.
