Tinubu Renames University of Maiduguri After Buhari, Praises Late Leader’s Enduring Legacy

Abuja, Nigeria – President Bola Tinubu led a solemn tribute to the late former President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in Abuja, announcing the renaming of the 50-year-old University of Maiduguri to Muhammadu Buhari University. The ceremony, held during a special session of the Federal Executive Council, honored Nigeria’s eighth leader, who passed away on July 13, 2025.

President Tinubu, joined by cabinet ministers, state governors, the Secretary to the Government, and the Head of Service, eulogized Buhari for his “patriotism, unshakable convictions, forthrightness, and sincerity.” He stated that the absence of a leader whose presence stirred convictions would be “felt for generations.”

“Today, we gather under a heavy shadow, drawn from the silence that surrounds a departed leader and the immense weight of a life whose absence will be felt for generations,” President Tinubu remarked, praising Buhari as a “fearless defender of the unity of the nation” with a unique leadership style “defined by discipline, sincerity and unwavering display of compassion.”

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The President emphasized Buhari’s unimpeachable integrity and quiet courage, noting, “His life was a rebuke to vice and a refuge for virtue. The purity of his private character gave radiance to the discipline and integrity of his public service.” He added that despite his achievements, Buhari’s “most enduring legacy would be carved in democracy,” particularly for restoring hope that change was possible.

Buhari’s Support for Tinubu Recalled
During the tribute, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, shed light on a letter from former President Buhari to the APC Governors Forum. The letter, dated June 9, 2022, urged APC governors to ensure Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election, dispelling notions of Buhari’s indifference to Tinubu’s campaign.

“Our candidate, His Excellency Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is no stranger to you. He is our friend and brother,” Buhari wrote in the letter. “We know his commitment, his track record and his capacity to lead our party to success. So now is the time for all of us to come together and march forward, as we did in 2025, to a convincing APC victory.”

Tributes Pour In for the Departed Leader
Senate President Godswill Akpabio described Buhari as a “very principled man” who was “utterly uninterested in personal comfort, prioritising duty above all else.” Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, highlighted Buhari’s “quiet strength, moral clarity and an unshakable sense of duty.”

The Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, hailed Buhari as a “patriot, statesman, and devoted servant.” Other ministers, including Dele Alake (Solid Minerals), Ali Pate (Health and Social Welfare), Dave Umahi (Works), Festus Keyamo (Aviation), and Imaan Suliaman-Ibrahim (Women Affairs), along with the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, also offered their tributes.

Yusuf Buhari, son of the late President, conveyed the family’s gratitude for the outpouring of support and honor bestowed upon his father. He specifically thanked President Tinubu, Vice President Shettima, and their wives for their “outstanding support” since his father’s illness until his passing. “It showed that he was regarded far more than a politician, but regarded as a friend and a father to all,” Yusuf Buhari stated.