Nura Muhammad Mahe, grandson of the late former President Shehu Shagari, has criticised ex-President Muhammadu Buhari for what he calls a lack of respect toward his grandfather even after his death.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the 16th of July, 2025, Mahe expressed deep disappointment with the way Buhari handled Shagari’s passing in 2018.
He praised President Bola Tinubu for what he called a dignified and unifying gesture in organising a full state burial for Buhari, who died on Sunday, the 13th of July and was buried in Daura on Tuesday, the 15th of July, with full military honours.
He commended Tinubu’s personal presence at the burial, calling it “a symbol of national unity and dignity.”
“This is in stark contrast to how the late President Shehu Shagari was treated during the administration of Muhammadu Buhari,” Mahe said.
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He recalled that when Shagari died in 2018, Buhari was in the country but failed to attend the burial or offer a state funeral.
“Instead, a government delegation led by the then Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who is notably a non-Muslim, was dispatched to represent him,” he said.
Mahe said this approach diminished the recognition Shagari deserved as Nigeria’s first democratically elected Executive President.