In the aftermath of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s death, Nigeria stood still. Streets were quiet, flags flew at half-mast, and a deep national silence echoed across city skylines and village roads alike. But in the heart of this stillness, one man was moving firmly, calmly, and purposefully: Governor Dikko Umaru Radda of Katsina State.
While the country mourned, Radda worked. Behind the scenes, he became the silent architect of dignity, coordinating, comforting, and carrying a grieving nation on his shoulders.
During a special Federal Executive Council (FEC) session in Abuja, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu didn’t just offer condolences, he offered praise. In front of the full cabinet, he commended Governor Radda and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for organising a befitting State funeral within just 48 hours.
“This was not just a burial, it was a national honour, and you made it happen,” Tinubu said, his voice solemn.
He called Buhari “a selfless patriot… a man of integrity and action,” and in tribute, announced that the University of Maiduguri would now bear the name Muhammadu Buhari University.
But for Radda, this wasn’t about public applause. It was personal. He had lost more than a former president, he had lost a mentor, a father figure, a man who had guided him even in retirement.
“He always told me: ‘Lead with justice, fear God, and love Nigeria,’” Radda recalled.
As soon as the FEC session ended, the Governor returned to Katsina, not for rest, but to resume what had already become a mission of national mourning.
At his side was Yusuf Buhari, the late President’s son. Their first stop: Daura, to console Hajiya Aisha Buhari, the grieving former First Lady.
At the Dumurkul Juma’at Mosque, he knelt in prayer with traditional rulers, family members, and political dignitaries.
When First Lady Oluremi Tinubu arrived in Daura, Radda personally received her and stood by her as she offered tearful tributes to her husband’s decades-long friend and political ally. “This loss is deeply personal,” she said. “We came not out of duty, but out of love.”
The crowd was moved, but Radda kept moving. He received the Emir of Jama’a, welcomed the IBB family, and hosted former Senate President Bukola Saraki, who reflected on Buhari as “a man of integrity, even when we disagreed politically.”
Corporate giants like Jaiz Bank came. Royal fathers came. Delegations from across Nigeria poured into Katsina and Daura and through it all, Governor Radda never wavered. Whether at graveside prayers or condolence visits, his message was clear: Buhari’s legacy would not be forgotten.
Yusuf Buhari, in his tribute, offered words that many found deeply telling: “From the moment we lost our father, Governor Radda stood by us. From the first announcement to the final prayer, he never left.”
But perhaps the most profound words came from the Emir of Daura, a man over a century old.
“In all my years, I have never seen a sitting President honour a former leader so personally and never seen a Governor so loyal in grief. This will never be forgotten,” he said.
Governor Radda didn’t just manage logistics; he managed a nation’s pain. In mourning, he offered more than protocol, he offered presence.
He became the calm amid sorrow, the steady voice when others faltered, and the face of leadership in its most human form.
As Senator Oluremi Tinubu departed Katsina, she was escorted by Radda, his wife Zulaihat, and state officials.
And as her convoy pulled away, the message was unmistakable: Nigeria may have buried a leader, but it had found a servant in Radda, a man who reminded the nation that in moments of loss, duty becomes legacy, and leadership becomes love.
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