Former presidential media aide, Femi Adesina, has explained why the late President Muhammadu Buhari was affectionately called “Mai Gaskiya” (the honest one) by Northerners.

Adesina highlighted Buhari’s unwavering integrity, noting that the former president never misappropriated public funds despite holding several high-profile offices throughout his career.

The remarks were made in an article commemorating what would have been Buhari’s 83rd birthday on December 17, 2025, five months after his passing on July 13, 2025.

Recalling an interaction with Mele Kyari, then Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Adesina said:

“The day the Petroleum Industry Bill was to be signed into law, Mele Kyari told me he had never seen anyone like Buhari. He never sent a note through anyone asking for favors or money. An amazing person.”

Adesina added that many other agency heads and parastatal officials echoed the same sentiment, emphasizing Buhari’s lifelong frugality and incorruptibility.

“And that was how he was all his life. He would never touch public money, despite all the positions he held. No wonder the average northerner dubbed him Mai Gaskiya. Simply incorruptible,” Adesina said.