As the mourning over the death of former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari continues, his daughters said they thanked those who forgave their father.
Aisha Hanan Buhari and Hadiza Muhammadu Buhari, who spoke to BBC Hausa, expressed their delight in those who forgave their father, who served the country in different capacities.
Muhammadu Buhari died on Sunday in a London hospital after a long battle with illness. Those close to the deceased described him as a friendly and loving person with a deep love for his family.
However, Aisha, popularly known as Hanan Buhari, who is one of his younger children, also expressed the grief she felt after the death of her father.
Hanan said that losing her father was like losing a part of her body.
“What I will miss most about him is his sense of humour. I look up to him as a part of me,” she explained.
Hanan also thanked Nigerians who forgave their father, saying, “We have nothing to say to them except thank you, thank God.”
She added that the deceased had good intentions towards Nigerians, describing him as “one of the common people”.
“That disciplined me to study, pray, and do things that made us happy,” she said.
One of his eldest children, Hadiza Muhammadu Buhari, known as Nana, revealed to the BBC Hausa some of her father’s good qualities “that not everyone knows about”.
Nana, the daughter of the deceased’s ex-wife to Buhari, said her father was filled with love for Nigerians.
“During his treatment, I went to London to check on him. After he got better, I decided to return to Nigeria. When I told him, ‘Dad, I’m going,’ he said, ‘Where are you going?”
“I told him I was returning to Nigeria, and he said, ‘Greet Nigerians,” she explained.
When asked what her father called her before his demise, Nana said, “He called me Madam Nana. We chat, joke, and laugh together.”
She said the deceased had raised them to avoid rights that were not theirs.
“I remember once he gave us money to buy some textbooks. After I bought some, I had some change, so I bought some sweets…”
“After I returned and told him, and gave him the rest of the change, he told me, Nana, that’s not good. If you are sent to buy something with money, when you return, give the change back to the person who sent it, and if he takes it and gives it to you, you can accept it. Do not touch anything that is not yours.
Keep the trust and do not take away someone else’s rights,” said Nana.
She described her father as humorous, social, and easygoing. “He is a patient and tolerant person. Dad doesn’t like noise.
You can’t insult him and he will retaliate, unless he keeps an eye on you,” she said.
