Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has disclosed that his wife urged him to refrain from criticizing the late ex-President Muhammadu Buhari after his recent demise. The revelation came during Fayose’s interview on a live television program, where he spoke candidly about how “people in Nigeria only praise the dead.”
Describing his initial impulse to speak harshly of Buhari following the former president’s death on July 13 in a UK hospital, Fayose recounted, “When President Buhari died, I wanted to come out and abuse him (but) my wife called me not to say so.” Buhari, Nigeria’s leader from 2015 to 2023, was buried in Daura, Katsina State, two days later.
Fayose, known for his criticisms of Buhari’s tenure, didn’t shy away from his views but said he abided by his wife’s request. “Would you say Buhari performed? I’m not among those praising the dead,” he stated, adding, “Don’t honour me when I die. When I die, I’m gone. When President Buhari was in government, we all know what this country was.”
He contrasted Buhari’s leadership with that of current President Bola Tinubu, asserting, “He (Tinubu) is accessible. Was the former president accessible? A lot of things were happening in those days but do you still find them in the system? He is not a perfect man but we are not where we were.”
Defending Tinubu’s administration, Fayose labeled Nigeria a “sick country” and pressed that no miracles could be expected within two years, highlighting the complex crises inherited by the current leadership. “Tinubu inherited a very bad economy,” he added.
okay.ng reports that Fayose’s remarks come amid ongoing national debates regarding the country’s direction and the legacy left by its past leaders.
