As tributes pour in for former President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, who passed away on Sunday, in London, a poignant moment from his final months in office has resurfaced across Nigeria’s political and social circles.
ALSO READ: Former President Muhammadu Buhari is dead
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Two years before his death, during the Eid-el-Fitr Sallah homage at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on April 21, 2023, Buhari made a public and emotional appeal for forgiveness, a moment now remembered as one of the most reflective and humanising speeches of his eight-year tenure.
“God gave me an incredible opportunity to serve the country. We are all humans. If I have hurt some people along the line of my service to the country, I ask that they pardon me,” Buhari said during the gathering.
Buhari: A Farewell in Faith and Humility
Speaking before an audience of ministers, dignitaries, traditional rulers, and residents of the FCT, the former president acknowledged that leadership inevitably invites criticism, but emphasised that he had accepted that burden willingly, guided by faith and conviction.
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“All those that I have hurt, I ask that they pardon me,” he repeated, a quote now being widely shared on social media and in the press, following his passing at the age of 82.
The 2023 Sallah address was not just a ritualistic holiday message; it turned out to be Buhari’s final direct message to the Nigerian public on his personal legacy before handing over power on May 29, 2023.
A Life of Leadership Spanning Four Decades
Born in Daura, Katsina State, on December 17, 1942, Muhammadu Buhari’s life was deeply interwoven with the story of Nigeria itself.
ALSO READ: Muhammedu Buhari: 5 Things Nigerians will miss about the Former President
From military service to democratic leadership, his journey was marked by trials, political comebacks, discipline, and controversy.
He ruled Nigeria as a military Head of State between 1983 and 1985, and then returned to power democratically in 2015, making history as the first Nigerian opposition candidate to defeat a sitting president at the ballot.
Across his two terms as president (2015–2023), Buhari championed a war against corruption, pursued aggressive infrastructure development, and prioritized national security.
Yet his presidency was also criticized for economic downturns, rising insecurity in parts of the country, and slow responses to crises.
It is against this backdrop that his 2023 appeal for forgiveness gains renewed significance.
