Tunde Bakare, the serving overseer of Citadel Global Community Church, has honoured the memory of former President Muhammadu Buhari with a heartfelt tribute.
Buhari passed away on Sunday at a clinic in London at the age of 82.
In a statement released on Monday, Bakare described Buhari’s life as “extremely impactful”, referring to him as a respected elder statesman and fellow patriot.
He shared memories of their first meeting in 1985 and said Buhari’s policies at the time created the foundation for his journey as a young legal practitioner.
This was a man whose integrity and discipline gave hope to millions of Nigerians across the length and breadth of our nation, he wrote.
This was a man with a dream of a New Nigeria — a dream he lived for; a dream he worked tirelessly towards from his youth; a dream he pursued persistently despite the challenges he encountered; a dream I had the privilege of teaming up with him in his tireless quest to fulfill; a dream that brought tears to his eyes; a dream, the heart of which he shared with me in intimate conversations — a dream that revealed the soul of a man whose lifelong desire was to make life better for the ordinary Nigerian.
He referred to Buhari as a colossus whose kind is hard to replace.
Bakare offered a prayer, hoping that Buhari will be remembered kindly by history and that the Nigeria he envisioned will still come to life even after you have departed.
I express my deep condolences to his beloved wife, former First Lady, Aisha Buhari, and to his children and grandchildren. May God, the husband of the widow and the father of the fatherless, fill the void, the statement reads.
And to our dear nation, Nigeria, may God be our strength and comfort in this solemn season.
