The Association of Ex-Local Government Chairmen of Nigeria (ASELGON) has described the late former President Buhari as a pragmatic leader who will be remembered for his leadership style.
According to a statement signed by the association’s national president, Albert Asipa, Buhari’s death, together with that of the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, on the same day, was “a terrible and devastating blow to the country”.
ASELGON, which expressed condolences to the relatives of the deceased in Daura, Katsina State, and Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, said they should be comforted by their records of service to mankind as army generals, politicians, and traditional leaders, respectively.
Speaking of Buhari, Asipa recalled that the late army officer came to offer leadership on two occasions, first as a military head of state between 1983 and 1985 and then as a civilian president between 2015 and 2023, both of which were remarkably significant in the country’s political history.
On both occasions, he stated that Buhari demonstrated himself as a patriotic, disciplined, and focused leader who gave his all to the country’s upliftment, advancement, and betterment.
“He would for long be remembered for his pragmatism, loyalty to nation building and commitment to all that is noble and worthy of a genuine leader,” the association added.
Speaking on Oba Adetona, the former ex-local government chief executives said, “The nation has lost a quintessential monarch, whose frankness and bluntness to a fault had no parallel. A highly disciplined and reserved monarch, the late Awujale would be sorely missed by the country at large, the Yoruba race and his Ijebu-Ode subjects in particular.
“It is very sad and painful to lose these two illustrious and prominent personalities at this particular point in the political history of Nigeria when their counsel and advice, based on their wealth of experience, would be badly needed, but who are we to query the all-knowing God on His decision?
“We thank God for their respective lives, which in no small measure impacted our society in diverse ways of politics and culture and traditions where the twosome separately successfully operated, and pray that Almighty Allah would uphold their respective families,” ASELGON further commiserated.
