The Progressive Students Movement (PSM), a leading Pan-African student body, has joined global mourners in honouring Nigeria’s late former President, General Muhammadu Buhari, and the Awujale of Ijebu Land, Oba Sikiru Adetona.
In a statement signed on Monday by PSM President, Comrade Ambassador Okereafor Bestman, the organisation said it chose to celebrate rather than mourn, describing both leaders as figures whose lives offer lasting inspiration to Nigerian youths.
According to PSM, President Buhari, who died at the age of 82, lived a life marked by simplicity yet national significance.
According to him,His administration, the group noted, spearheaded key infrastructure projects, including the revival of Nigeria’s rail network, major road projects such as the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Second Niger Bridge, as well as the completion of international airport terminals across Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt.
“Buhari’s leadership also saw agricultural reforms through the Anchor Borrowers Programme, which disbursed over 800 billion Naira to more than four million small-scale farmers, cultivating over five million hectares of land.”
PSM further highlighted Buhari’s anti-corruption measures, notably the expansion of the TSA and IPPIS platforms, as well as the introduction of the BVN system. These efforts reportedly uncovered over 50,000 fraudulent payroll entries.
Speaking on security and poverty alleviation,he said ” Buhari’s administration introduced social investment schemes and disbursed over two trillion Naira in bailout funds to state governments.”
On the late Awujale, who passed away aged 91, PSM described Oba Adetona as a “fearless and wise” monarch whose reign transformed Ijebu Land culturally and economically.
“His promotion of the Ojude Oba Festival to international prominence and his unmatched commitment to education were praised as legacies worth emulating.”
