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Buhari, a former military general who campaigned on rooting out government corruption, died on Sunday at age 82.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari addresses the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City on September 21, 2022. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)
President Cyril Ramaphosa has paid tribute to former Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari, saying his leadership brought the two nations closer together.
Buhari, a former military general who campaigned on rooting out government corruption, died on Sunday at age 82.
Death
He died in London at about 4:30pm after a “prolonged illness”, according to the presidential press office.
Nigeria’s current president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, offered his condolences to Buhari’s wife and ordered his vice president to travel to the UK to accompany Buhari’s body back to Nigeria.
Condolences
Ramaphosa also offered his deep condolences to the people of Nigeria following the passing of Buhari, who led the Federal Republic of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023.
“As South Africa, we stand with the nation of Nigeria in your mourning. President Buhari led Nigeria as a patriot and a champion not only of the best attributes of his nation during his leadership, but of the future that awaited his great country.”
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SA-Nigeria relations
Ramaphosa said he had the privilege of working closely with Buhari on building relations between South Africa and sharing numerous reciprocal visits, including during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“These engagements were dedicated to intensifying cooperation in areas such as arts and culture, education, agriculture, trade and investment, mining, defence, immigration and science and technology.
“President Buhari’s leadership brought our two nations closer together, and as we did so, this partnership contributed to Africa’s collective growth and development. This is a legacy on which we will continue to build,” Ramaphosa said.
Presidency
Buhari’s tenure was dogged by health rumours.
According to AFP, he governed Nigeria with a strong hand as a military ruler in the 1980s before reinventing himself as a “converted democrat” and being elected president decades later.
“The rake-thin 82-year-old Muslim from the far north of Africa’s most populous nation made political history as the first opposition candidate to defeat a sitting leader at the ballot box in 2015,” reports AFP.
“He unseated then-incumbent Goodluck Jonathan on a vow to crack down on Nigeria’s rampant corruption and end an insurgency by Boko Haram, going on to claim re-election in 2019.”
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