United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, on Monday visited the Nigeria House in New York to pay tributes to Nigeria’s late former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Mohammed, who served under Buhari both as the Minister of Environment and earlier at the Petroleum Trust Fund, signed the condolence register and prayed for the peaceful repose of his soul.
She described the late Nigerian leader as a man of unwavering discipline, deep conviction and steadfast patriotism, whose legacy would endure far beyond Nigeria’s borders.
Speaking to newsmen after signing the register, the UN’s second-highest-ranking official reflected on her long working relationship with Buhari.
She described the former Nigerian president and one-time military Head of State as a leader who deeply believed in his people and country.
“He was a man of discipline, a man of conviction, a man of, as we say in Hausa, ‘kishin kasa’ (patriotism). He was a true patriot who believed in his country, believed in his people and did the best that he could,” Mohammed said.
She recalled Buhari’s guiding principle that service is about humanity that demanded patience, faith and sincerity of purpose.
“When we were frustrated, he will remind us that we are serving humanity, that we are serving people and so, we must have the patience, we must have the faith. That we must continue to try to do the best, and we will be judged by our intentions,” she added.
The UN Deputy Secretary-General described Buhari’s passing as a deep loss at a time when the world is facing moral challenges and a drift in values.
She said: “This is when you dig deep to remember what he taught you. We will always stand on his shoulders for many reasons. But today is one of deep sadness where we stand in solidarity with his wife, his children, his family and his daughters and we continue to pray for him and to pray that he will have Al Jannah Firdaus.”
On Buhari’s enduring legacy, Mohammed highlighted his unwavering courage and conviction in putting Nigeria and Africa first.
She recalled how Buhari inspired her even beyond national borders, sharing an example from her UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“I think for me, it’s about the courage of his conviction that he always believed in the country and the continent first, and he worked for that. I remember talking to him about a mission I had to the DRC Congo and being very frustrated about not being able to make the progress that we wanted to see there.
“Then he recalled an encounter during his stay in the DRC as a military officer and gave insights into the people, not even his military role but the people. He also gave insights about the complexities and why we had to understand them first and bring them along.
“He reached out to where people were and tried to bring them to where we needed to be as a country that was striving to achieve its potential..He did his best with what he had and for that, he will always be remembered; that he never gave up on Nigeria,” Mohammed said.
The Charge d’Affaires, Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN, Mr Syndoph Endoni, said the UN deputy chief’s visit to sign the condolence register underscored her respect and admiration for Buhari.
Endoni said the respect and admiration Buhari commanded both at home and abroad and his values of discipline, sacrifice and nation-first commitment would remain his lasting legacy.
Persecondnews had reported that Buhari died on Sunday, July 3 at a private clinic in London at the age of 82 during a prolonged undisclosed illness.
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