BY SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
The Progressive Students Movement (PSM), an NGO, has celebrated quality lives lived by former President Muhammadu Buhari, 82, and the Awujale of Ijebu Land, Oba Sikiru Adetona, 91.
It would be recalled that both great and respected leaders passed on in London and Nigeria respectively on Sunday.
In a statement on Monday in Enugu, the President of the PSM, Amb. Bestman Okereafor, said that “rather than mourn, PSM is celebrating the quality lives spent by these great leaders.”
Okereafor called on Nigerian youths to draw positive inspirations from them.
He said that both Buhari and the Awujale lived lives of “simplicity yet significantly symbolic to positively impact lives”.
According to him, PSM, the foremost pan-African students movement, joins the world in bidding the duo of former President Buhari and the Awujale, Oba Sikiru Adetona, farewell.
He said, “Under Buhari guidance, Nigeria witnessed remarkable strides in infrastructure development which included the resuscitation of the dead railway transportation to a functional and convenient means of transportation.
“On road transportation, his government invested over a billion dollars in the completion of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Second Niger Bridge, Kaduna -Kano- Zaria Expressway projects among several others.
“These are roads with significant national importance. Buhari also completed new terminals at international airports within Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt.
“He constructed and completed new aircraft runways for Abuja and Enugu airports.
“Anchor borrower’s programme was also introduced by him to boost agriculture and that saw the disbursement of over N800 billion to more than four million smallholder farmers of 23 different commodities cultivating over five million hectares of land.”
The PSM boss noted that Buhari tried his best in fighting corruption by expanding the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
He said that Buhari also introduced Bank Verification Number (BVN) to verify payroll entries on the TSA and IPPIS platforms which led to the detection of over 50,000 fraudulent payroll entries.
“Buhari tried his best in the aspect of security. He introduced the social security investment and poverty alleviation programmes to reduce the poverty, insecurity and suffering rate in the country.
“It is also on record that the Buhari’s administration extended more than N2 trillion in bailout packages to state governments,” he said.
Okereafor said that the late Awujale’s leadership style needed to be critically studied.
He said that the Awujale enhanced and reshaped the cultural heritage of Ijebu Kingdom with the Ojude Oba Festival attaining international standards.
“The Awujale cemented the festival’s reputation as a thriving hub of commerce and tradition; thereby, significantly contributing to the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of Ogun State.
“His love for Education is second to none. He is known to be a fearless, wise, experienced and exposed monarch.
“Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, the Awujale of Ijebu, reigned for an unprecedented 65 years on the throne.
“He ascended the throne on April 2, 1960, and has been the longest-reigned traditional ruler in Nigeria,” he added.
He prayed to God to forgive their shortcomings “for no man is perfect” and grant both a place in heaven.
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