Segun Ayinde, Abeokuta
Chief Segun Sowunmi, former spokesperson to Vice President Atiku Abubakar—Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general elections—on Sunday paid tribute to the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, describing him as a disciplined leader who made notable efforts to curb insurgency during his administration.
Sowunmi also mourned the passing of the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, the longest-reigning traditional ruler in Ogun State.
Buhari reportedly died on Sunday in London, United Kingdom, where he had been receiving medical treatment for an undisclosed illness.
Reacting to the news of Buhari’s death, Sowunmi, a former PDP governorship aspirant in Ogun State and Coordinator of The Alternate (a Pan-African movement), noted that though the former president struggled to contain the Boko Haram and banditry crises, he acted decisively in handling the #EndSARS protests.
In a tribute titled “Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR): Maigaskiya Is Gone,” released through his press office in Abeokuta, Sowunmi described Buhari as “a disciplinarian and a crisis manager” who, drawing on his military background, took command in volatile situations to restore order.
“When #EndSARS happened, I saw the general and crisis manager come forward again. That was a moment that could have imploded the country. But, once a general, always a general—he brought things under control,” Sowunmi said.
“Sure, it might not have been tidy, but losing the country to a manipulated implosion was not an option under him. When non-state actors overplayed their hands, I saw him issue decisive command instructions to restore sanity, and the madness ended.”
He acknowledged the complexity of the insurgency war, describing it as an asymmetrical conflict where insurgents could not be easily distinguished from ordinary citizens. Sowunmi, however, faulted Buhari’s reluctance to officially designate Boko Haram and bandits as terrorist groups, suggesting that the lack of such a declaration may have hampered progress.
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“I saw him struggle with insurgency. Its very nature made that kind of war difficult to fight—the targets were too mobile, too formless, and camouflaged. Any citizen could look like any terrorist. I suppose his reluctance to label it terrorism did not help matters, and perhaps he oversimplified the challenge before assuming office,” he added.
On the passing of the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, who reigned for 64 years, Sowunmi extolled the monarch as a symbol of dignity and refinement who elevated the cultural identity of the Ijebu people and transformed the Ojude Oba festival into a global spectacle.
“You carried yourself with candour and dignity befitting a refined Yoruba traditional ruler. You made us proud. You lived well and contributed immensely to the development of your kingdom, our state, Nigeria, and indeed all mankind—through your love for scholarship, both secular and Islamic,” he said.
“Imagine the world-acclaimed Ojude Oba Ijebu ceremony—a durbar with Oriental Arabic origins, where horses were introduced due to early trade interactions with Muslim merchants from Mali, long before the Dan Fodio era. The Ijebus have always had a rich history of trans-African commerce.”
Sowunmi concluded his statement by expressing hope that both Buhari’s legacy and the memory of the Awujale would be honoured and studied for generations to come.