Abuja — Clara Dabo
The Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has paid glowing tribute to the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, describing him as a leader who planted enduring foundations for Nigeria’s most vulnerable populations, even as he remained guided by humility and quiet resolve.
Speaking during a Special Federal Executive Council (FEC) session held in Abuja in honour of the late President, the Minister reflected on his legacy of institutional reform and deep empathy, noting that Buhari’s leadership was marked by a consistent focus on the underserved, particularly women, children, displaced persons, and victims of human trafficking.
“Great nations are built by leaders who plant trees under whose shade they may never sit,” she said. “President Buhari sowed seeds of institutional resilience and compassion. He may not have reaped the full harvest, but his vision now bears fruit.”
Hajiya Imaan, who previously served as Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and later as Federal Commissioner for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), spoke from personal experience working closely with the Buhari administration. She credited the late President for supporting Nigeria’s removal from the U.S. Trafficking Watchlist during her time at NAPTIP—an achievement that averted sanctions and restored international confidence in Nigeria’s anti-trafficking efforts.
She also highlighted Buhari’s signing of the NCFRMI Act in 2022 after over a decade of legislative stagnation, calling it a turning point in Nigeria’s humanitarian architecture. “He carried the burden of displacement like a personal responsibility,” she recalled. “Against all odds, he gave the Commission the legal and institutional framework to function effectively.”
One particularly poignant memory, the Minister recounted, was Buhari’s final act in office—virtually commissioning resettlement cities for displaced Nigerians just a day before leaving office. “He said, ‘These people have been through so much. If all I do is give them a place to call home, I am at peace.’ That was who he truly was — a man of empathy and quiet strength.”
Turning to the present, she praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership for continuing and expanding on the foundation laid by Buhari. She described the Renewed Hope Agenda as a bold acceleration of inclusive governance, where women and vulnerable populations have moved from being policy considerations to being strategic priorities.
“The late President Buhari believed in the power of women. Today, under President Tinubu, that belief is becoming a national strategy,” she said.
Hajiya Imaan concluded her tribute with a message of continuity and national resolve. “His legacy is not a monument to the past. It is a living force, shaping a more just and inclusive Nigeria. May Allah grant him eternal rest in Al-Jannah Firdaus.”
The session drew senior government officials and members of the Federal Executive Council, who gathered to honour the former president’s life, service, and impact on the Nigerian nation.
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