Garba Shehu reacts to Tinubu’s decision to rename university after Buhari

Former presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, has reacted to the decision of President Bola Tinubu to rename the University of Maiduguri in honour of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The renaming of the university was announced during a special Federal Executive Council (FEC) session held on Thursday, which was convened to pay tribute to Buhari, who passed away on Sunday.

Describing the development as a commendable gesture, Shehu took to his X handle to express his approval, calling it “a right step in the right direction.”

He wrote: “After a state burial like no other, the renaming of the University of Maiduguri after the late President Muhammadu Buhari is an honour well deserved. Heartening to see this happening in our lifetime in Nigeria. My personal view.”

Earlier in the same FEC meeting, President Tinubu led a solemn tribute to the late leader, acknowledging his imperfections but praising his integrity and moral character.

“President Buhari was not a perfect man – no leader is – but he was, in every sense of the word, a good man, a decent man, an honourable man. His record will be debated, as all legacies are, but the character he brought to public life, the moral force he carried, the incorruptible standard he represented, will not be forgotten. His was a life lived in full service to Nigeria, and in fidelity to God.”

“Now, he rests. And we who remain must carry the memory of his life as a standard to guide us. Let us honour him not only with words, but with humility in power, discipline in service, compassion in governance, and fearlessness in the pursuit of justice,” Tinubu said.