President Muhammadu Buhari has condoled with the government and people of Zimbabwe over the death of the founding father and ex-President, Robert Mugabe.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced the death of Mugabe early Friday.
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Buhari, in a statement by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, commiserated with family members, friends and political associates of the political activist who fought for the independence of the country from colonial rule, and lived most of his life in public service.
Mugabe, who had been in hospital in Singapore since April, died aged 95.
He was ousted in a military coup in November 2017, ending 37 years in power.
President Buhari, however, said that he believes Mugabe’s sacrifices, especially in struggling for the political and economic emancipation of his people, would always be remembered by posterity.
He prayed that Mugabe’s soul is granted eternal rest and comfort for the deceased’s loved ones.
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Mugabe’s early years were praised for broadening access to health and education for the black majority. But his controversial land reform programme sparked an economic collapse and his latter years were marked by rights abuses and corruption.
Despite Zimbabwe’s decline during his rule, Mugabe remained defiant, railing against the West for what he called its neo-colonialist attitude and urging Africans to take control of their resources, a populist message that was often a hit even as many nations on the continent shed the strongman model and moved toward democracy.
