Hanan Buhari, daughter of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, has appreciated Nigerians for forgiving her father, who died on Sunday at a hospital in London.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Buhari was buried in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State on Tuesday.
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His funeral drew numerous dignitaries, including top political figures and other prominent personalities.
Before his death, Mr Buhari had, during his final Sallah Day celebration as President in April 2023, asked Nigerians to forgive any wrongs he may have committed while in office.
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Since his death, his family members and political associates have also appealed to the citizens for continued forgiveness and understanding.
Hanna Buhari
However, in an interview with BBC Hausa, posted on Facebook on Thursday, Hanan, who’s into digital photography and media, described the loss of her father as akin to losing a part of her own body.
Defending her father’s legacy, she spoke about the values he upheld and the sacrifices he made in service to the nation.
She said, “What I will miss most about him is his sense of humour. I look up to him as a part of me. I want to thank everyone who forgave my late father.
“On behalf of our family, we are grateful. We have nothing to say to them (Nigerians) except thank God. He disciplined me to study, pray, and do things that made us happy.”
Good intentions
She added that her father always had the best intentions for Nigerians, describing him as a man of the people.
“That’s what I can say. But since Allah has decreed it, Alhamdulillah, I had the chance to be with him and read the Qur’an to him.
“I’ll miss everything about him, his jokes, how he made us laugh. But we know Allah did it, and it’s become part of us,” she added.
Hanan recalled that her late father always reminded her that money wasn’t everything; education must come first.
Nana Buhari, too
Hanan’s remarks about her late father followed her sister Nana’s defence of his legacy, in which she argued that many Nigerians misunderstood him.
In an interview with BBC Pidgin, Nana described their father as warm-hearted, humorous, easy-going, and deeply patriotic.
READ ALSO: Inside my last encounter with Buhari before he died Femi Adesina
Despite his criticism, she maintained that he genuinely acted in the country’s best interest.
She said, “What I’d like to tell Nigerians is that those who didn’t know my father or had bad or negative thoughts about him should understand that he was not what they thought he was.
“He was a very kind person and did his best for Nigeria. He loved Nigerians and was truly patriotic.”
