Buhari was a man forged in the furnace of battle, tempered in the trials of governance — Akpabio

Buhari

By AKPAN ETIDO

President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, GCFR, has described late former President Muhammadu Buhari as a man forged in the furnace of battle and tempered in the trials of governance.

In his tribute at the Special Session of the Expanded Special Federal Executive Council Meeting in honour of the Late President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, on Thursday at the State House, Akpabio eulogised him for being “incorruptible, principled, and unbending”.

He said: “There are moments in the life of a nation when she must pause—not out of routine, but out of reverence. Today is such a moment, as we gather in solemn remembrance of President Muhammadu Buhari—a man forged in the furnace of battle and tempered in the trials of governance. A man who gave everything he had to a country that asked everything of him”.

According to Akpabio, “President Muhammadu Buhari was not perfect. No leader is. But he was principled. He stood for something. And in a world where it is easy to chase headlines, he chose instead to chase honour. Where others sought glory, he sought duty.

“As a minister in his cabinet, appointed by him, I saw President Buhari unplugged. He was not flamboyant—far from it. His voice was measured. His steps, deliberate. His public demeanor, austere. But beneath that calm exterior beat the heart of a patriot—unyielding, unbending, and utterly uninterested in personal comfort when duty called.

“He served this nation first in uniform, and decades later, returned to serve it once more—this time in flowing agbada. Whether clad in khaki or in civilian robes, through coups and campaigns, criticisms and crises, he never wavered in his belief in the promise of Nigeria. His legacy is marked by monumental achievements—too many, too vast, and too significant for me to enumerate within the time allotted for this tribute.