‘Buhari Had Never Met Me Before Appointing Me’ — Gen. Irabor Pays Emotional Tribute to Late President
Former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky E.O. Irabor (rtd), has paid a heartfelt tribute to late President Muhammadu Buhari, revealing that the former Commander-in-Chief appointed him to Nigeria’s top military position in 2021 without ever having met him personally.
“I have never met you before, but I have heard of your performance. I hope you will not disappoint,” Buhari told Irabor at their very first meeting after his appointment, a moment the retired General said has never left him.
General Irabor made the revelation in a solemn eulogy to the late president, who died recently in London at the age of 82. He described Buhari as “a good man,” “a disciplined and deeply principled leader,” and “a soldier’s soldier,” praising his leadership style, humility, and trust in the Armed Forces.
“Before he appointed me as Chief of Defence Staff on 26 January 2021, I had never met him personally,” Irabor wrote in the tribute. “Like many Nigerians, I knew him only from a distance through the pages of history, the news, and the reverence with which he was spoken of in military circles.”
Irabor, who was a cadet during Buhari’s first rule as Nigeria’s military Head of State in the 1980s, recounted how he admired him from afar back then. But it wasn’t until he assumed leadership of the military under Buhari’s democratic presidency that he came to fully understand the man behind the stern public image.
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“In President Buhari, I encountered a disciplined and deeply principled leader. A man who said little but listened intently and deeply,” he said.
According to Irabor, Buhari’s leadership style was one of trust and delegation. “He placed implicit trust in those he appointed never micromanaging, never second-guessing,” he noted, adding that this quiet confidence was sometimes misunderstood, but for those who worked closely with him, it was a mark of his character.
Irabor also recounted Buhari’s willingness to listen and yield to sound advice, particularly on national security matters. On at least two occasions, the retired General said, he successfully asked the President to reverse directives based on strategic concerns and Buhari did so “without ego, without hesitation.”
At National Security Council meetings, Irabor said he was often struck by Buhari’s stamina and composure. “He sat for hours, attentive and composed, never once calling for a break. I once asked him, half in jest, how he found the patience and strength. He only smiled.”
While acknowledging that Buhari, like all men, had his flaws, Irabor said he would always remember him as “a patriot who loved Nigeria deeply and gave of himself sacrificially.”
“I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to have served in his administration,” Irabor said. “To my Commander-in-Chief, my Principal – President Muhammadu Buhari, at the sound of the Last Post, rest well. You fought the good fight. May your soul find eternal peace in the bosom of the Almighty.”
The former military chief also extended condolences to the Buhari family, particularly the former First Lady, Aisha Buhari, describing the late president’s service as marked by “dignity, honour, and integrity.”
