Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has paid tribute to the late General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, describing him as a mentor, a moral compass, and a symbol of integrity. Atiku also used the occasion to reflect on the kind of nation he believes Nigeria should become.
Atiku said it has been 28 years since Yar’Adua’s death, yet his influence still shapes Nigeria’s political conversation. He described the late general as a fearless leader whose life was defined by service, sacrifice, and a deep belief in justice.
Atiku said Yar’Adua’s leadership was never about power or privilege, but about service to ordinary Nigerians. He recalled how Yar’Adua led from the front, stayed humble in power, remained strong in adversity, and treated leadership as a duty rather than an entitlement.
He noted that Yar’Adua’s vision for Nigeria rested on inclusion, fairness, and unity. According to him, Yar’Adua believed leadership should give every Nigerian a voice and ensure that no citizen feels inferior because of tribe, religion, or birthplace.
Atiku stressed that Yar’Adua taught that democracy depends not only on elections, but on strong institutions, integrity, and active citizens. He said the late general’s moral compass was fixed on equity and national unity, not sectional loyalty.
Reflecting on the present, Atiku said Nigeria must confront the fragility of its union. He warned that distrust, exclusion, and despair threaten the foundation of the country, adding that the nation must return to the values Yar’Adua lived and died for.
Speaking on “the union Nigeria ought to become,” Atiku said Yar’Adua’s dream was a practical one — a country held together by justice, equality, and opportunity for all.
He called on Nigerians to rebuild a nation where service is greater than ambition, and where integrity defeats selfish interests, saying that the leadership baton passed down by Yar’Adua’s generation must be carried with renewed commitment.
Atiku also praised the Yar’Adua family, saying they had given Nigeria outstanding leaders across generations and had borne the pain of sacrifice with dignity and strength.
He concluded by reaffirming that Nigeria can still become the nation Yar’Adua imagined — if it embraces justice, unity, and genuine leadership.
