Nura Muhammad Mahe, the grandson of Nigeria’s first democratically elected Executive President, Shehu Shagari, has spoken out against late former President Muhammadu Buhari, accusing him of showing little respect to his grandfather — even in death.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Mahe expressed his disappointment with the way Buhari’s administration handled Shagari’s burial when he passed away in 2018. He said Buhari neither attended the funeral nor gave Shagari the honour of a state burial, despite being in the country at the time.

“Instead, a government delegation led by the then Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha — who is notably a non-Muslim — was sent to represent him,” Mahe recalled. “It was a clear sign of disrespect to the legacy of a man who served the nation at the highest level.”

Mahe compared this to the treatment Buhari himself received after his recent death. He praised President Bola Tinubu for giving Buhari a full state burial with military honours and personally attending the funeral in Daura, Katsina State.

He described Tinubu’s actions as a show of “national unity and dignity,” saying it stood in stark contrast to Buhari’s approach toward the Shagari family.

“Regardless of political differences or history, Shehu Shagari deserved better,” Mahe said. “He served Nigeria faithfully, and his legacy should have been honoured accordingly.”

President Shagari, who ruled Nigeria from 1979 to 1983, was overthrown in a military coup led by then-General Muhammadu Buhari. The events following that history still appear to influence how both leaders’ legacies are remembered today.