The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), the leading socio-cultural body in northern Nigeria, has expressed deep sorrow at the passing of former President and retired General Muhammadu Buhari, who died on Sunday in London.
In a condolence statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Professor Tukur Muhammad-Baba, the ACF described Buhari as a figure who shaped Nigeria’s political and governance landscape over nearly six decades.
“Until his death, he was one of only four surviving former Nigerian Heads of State,” the statement noted, highlighting Buhari’s remarkable career as Military Head of State from 1983 to 1985, and later as a twice-elected civilian president between 2015 and 2023.
Beyond his presidential roles, Buhari also served as Military Governor of the former North-Eastern State (covering present-day Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe) from 1975 to 1979, as well as Minister of Petroleum Resources. The ACF further recalled his active military service during Nigeria’s civil war from 1967 to 1970.
“General Buhari was a recurring figure in national policy and governance for almost sixty years,” the ACF said, acknowledging that his tenure inevitably drew a mix of admiration and criticism, with controversies that will continue to be debated in Nigeria’s historical discourse.
The forum observed that no contemporary Nigerian figure commanded as much affection and loyalty among the poor and rural populations of the North as Buhari did.
The ACF offered prayers for the peaceful repose of Buhari’s soul in Aljanna Firdaus and extended condolences to his family, the people and government of Katsina State, and the entire nation.
