The senator representing Katsina Central, Abdul Aziz Yar’Adua, has said people of the type of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari come once in a lifetime.
He also described Buhari’s death as “a loss too deep for words,” calling him a rare African giant whose shoes no one can easily fill.
Speaking at the final Fidau prayers held at Buhari’s Daura residence, Senator Yar’Adua painted a moving portrait of a man whose influence transcended borders and generations.
“It’s not just Nigeria that lost a leader, Africa lost a statesman. People like General Buhari come once in a lifetime,” he said.
To Senator Yar’Adua, Buhari’s greatest legacy wasn’t power or position, but his unshakable moral compass.
“Honesty. Integrity. Simplicity. That’s what he stood for.
He never chased wealth, he chased justice,” the senator declared.
He called on Nigeria’s current and future leaders to learn from Buhari’s example: a man who fought corruption, preached discipline, and stood firm in the face of pressure.
“We pray others will carry that torch. Nigeria needs leaders who don’t just talk change but live it.”
Beyond politics, he revealed a deeply personal relationship with the late president, one rooted in decades of family and military ties.
“Buhari wasn’t just a mentor, he was family. He and my late brother, General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, were brothers-in-arms. I grew up around him.”
The senator recalled moments of mentorship, including Buhari’s resistance to his resignation from the army after his brother’s passing.
“He wouldn’t even let me resign without a compelling reason.
That’s the kind of man he was, protective, thoughtful, principled.”
With his voice steady but somber, he ended with a plea to the nation and to history.
“We’ve lost a man who bled for Nigeria, who believed in its unity and future. May Allah raise more like him. And may Nigeria never forget what we had in him,” he added.
