Minutes after departing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, President Bola Tinubu has arrived at Katsina Airport to lead the government delegation receiving the body of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who passed away in London, United Kingdom, at the age of 82.
Tinubu reportedly left Aso Rock shortly after his wife, Oluremi, arrived in Daura, Buhari’s hometown, to commiserate with the former First Lady, Aisha Buhari.
The president is scheduled to receive the corpse from Vice President Kashim Shettima, whom he had directed to retrieve the late president’s body from the hospital in the U.K., where he was pronounced dead by medical experts.
President Tinubu will then lead the funeral procession to Daura, where the late former head of state is expected to be laid to rest following a state funeral on Tuesday.
On arrival in Kastina, Tinubu was received by Senate President, Godwill Akpabio, and state governors, who have arrived the state earlier to pay their last respect to the former military and democratic leader of the country.
Some of the governors who have arrived includes Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his counterparts from Ogun, Imo, Cross River, Edo, Yobe and the Kastina state Governor.
Respectively, Dapo Abiiodun, Hope Uzodinma, Bassey Otu, Monday Okpebholo, Mai Bunu, and Dikko Radda, among other dignitaries present to receive Buhari’s remain from London.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amaechi, Ali Sheriff, Yahaya Bello, Aminu Masari, Abdulaziz Yari, Isa Pantami, the Emir of Daura, and other top dignitaries are already present at the residence of the deceased former leader in his hometown, as high-profile guests continue to arrive ahead of the burial rites.
Earlier, Buhari’s former aide, Garuba Bashiru, stated that the ex-head of state’s body left London at about 7:48 a.m. and is expected to land at Katsina Airport in six hours.
Speaking with newsmen while eulogizing the late president, Bashiru noted that Buhari led by example and was one of the closest friends the masses ever had.
According to the former aide, present-day leaders should learn from Buhari’s personality, which he said was marked by simplicity.
“The power he held, he did not take to heart. He wielded it in line with the constitution. The simplicity of his life is a lesson to other leaders.
“Who would believe that a man who led the country more than twice would live in such a modest house? He was truly detached from material things.”
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